Time Is A Pretzel
by Anna Black
Summary: Hermione is transported by Time-Turner to when the Marauders roamed the earth. She falls for someone, but I'm not about to tell who... [COMPLETE!!] Now with all three epilogues!
1. Stupid Astronomy Tower...

Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine. Look at how I classified this. 

Kate & Leopold isn't either.

All of my song quotes will be from the Beatles. So let's put it down in record that I don't own them. I just suffer from a mild obsession.

A/N: I got the title from a line in Kate & Leopold. "I thought I was making a pretzel out of time, but then I realized, **time is a pretzel**. She's supposed to go back." That may not be accurate. I've only seen the movie once. 

Anyway, just read. 

Time Is A Pretzel

Prologue:

Nothing's Gonna Change My World

"Words are flowing out

Like endless rain

Into a paper cup.

They slither while they pass.

They slip away across the universe.

Pools of sorrow, waves of joy

Are drifting through my open mind,

Possessing and caressing it." - 

Across the Universe

"I saw that Muggle movie, Lord of the Rings, this summer. Dudley had to take me. Didn't want piggy ears." Laughter rang out between the three in the moving coach. "But no, seriously, Liv Tyler is _hot_."

Hermione inwardly groaned and turned to look out the window. This year, all Harry and Ron could talk about were the sexy new female stars. Hermione found this talk boring, and it left her on the sidelines. "Could you guys talk about something _besides _Hollywood actresses?"

Harry and Ron looked at each other and broke into identical grins. 

"No."

"Well," Hermione sighed, "you can't blame a girl for trying."

Hermione turned back to the window and gazed silently out at the passing scenery. Almost by instinct, her hand went to her neck. Harry and Ron hadn't noticed it, but here a thin gold chain hung around her neck, and a small lump was inside her robes. Dumbledore had sent a Time-Turner over the summer with a brief explanation that she might need it, and she was most likely out of Harry, Ron, and her to use it only when necessary, not for last-minute Potions homework. Hermione sent him an immediate reply thanking him excessively and promising to keep it secret.

Hermione traced the delicate outline of the chain down her neck, over her collarbone, and to her breast.

She had certainly made up for lost time over the summer. She was still mildly flat, but she had matured in a way. She carried herself a little more loosely now, a little more relaxed. She showed pride now, not arrogance. A smoother complexion, and fuller lips put her dazzling smile to full proportion. She had also found things to do with her untamable hair. God knew how many guys had asked her out over the summer.

'Not that Harry or Ron have noticed,' she thought, almost disgusted.

The train pulled into Hogsmeade Station in what seemed to Hermione like decades. 

Liv Tyler wouldn't leave her alone. The incessant chatter about the low cut dress she had worn on her close-up with Viggo Mortensen captured the mind and mouth of every teenage boy at Hogwarts.

"I don't know about you, but if I had been Aragorn, I would have grabbed Arwen and shagged her speechless," Hermione heard Dean Thomas say.

Hermione saw Dean, Seamus, Neville, Harry, and Ron pile in a carriage and immediately knew what the topic of conversation would be. So she caught Lavender Brown's carriage before it left. 

~

Lavender, the Patil twins, Ginny Weasley, and Katie Bell were chatting lightly about boys when Hermione scrambled in. They paused, as if uncomfortable to talk in front of her.

Hermione grinned. "Personally, I find that Ravenclaw fourth year Skylar Owen positively dreamy."

The entire carriage erupted in heated discussion about who was hot and who was not.

Near two-thirds of the journey was completed when Parvati burst out, "How many guys have you kissed, Hermione?"

After the initial shock and disbelief of the question swept over her, she grinned mischievously.

"Well…" Hermione began, "Just one."

"Who?" Lavender squealed.

"Who do you think? Viktor!"

"Is he any good?" Katie whispered.

"_Very _good. I doubt Draco Malfoy could do better."

"That good, huh?" Katie said.

"That good. I've never known someone could express such passion with a kiss."

"Wow. That so…" all of the girls whispered.

"Adorable," Ginny finished. All the rest of the girls nodded in agreement. Hermione blushed.

"Not really. It's… sexy. He knew where all the sensitive spots on my neck were… I only wish he didn't have that accent." 

"What problems could an accent create?" 

Hermione shrugged. "We broke up. We just didn't click. Besides, it's kind of annoying when your boyfriend can't pronounce your name."

"What _do _you want in a guy?" Parvati asked.

"I'll get back to you on that one."

Ginny sensed Hermione closing up and started where she left off. "Well, I know what _I_want in a guy," she began. "He has to be tall, athletic, brave, lucky, nice, have dark hair -"

"And green eyes with glasses?"

"You die, Lavender!" she shrieked happily and started a massive pillow fight. 

They were giggling ducks when they staggered out of the carriage. 

"Just… hold still… a minute… and I'll… I'll get all the… feathers… off us." Hermione gasped between laughs. "_Antiviswing_." The feathers soared off their robes and onto the ground. Katie used a Sweeping Charm and gathered them back into the battered pillows.

Harry and Ron pulled her aside, and the three of them walked together to the Great Hall. 

"Why didn't you ride with us 'Mione?" Ron asked.

"Because I'd rather fawn over a Viggo Mortensen that Liv Tyler."

"Good point."

"So how's it going with Viktor?" Harry asked politely. "You never mentioned him."

"You never asked, but we broke up. It wasn't working."

"Oh." Harry nudged Ron in the ribs, and he blushed furiously. 

Hermione laughed. "I'm probably not going to have a boyfriend for a while. They're a pain in the ass."

Harry gaped at her. "What?" 

"They're always lying to you about themselves. It's a waste of time."

"What if you dated someone you already knew?" Ron asked. 

"Then they'd change. Trust me. Viktor wasn't my first boyfriend after all."

~

The sorting went well. There were seven new Gryffindors, and only three Slytherins. Ravenclaw had nine "ickle firsties" while Hufflepuff had five.

In the common room, Ron yawned and stood up. "I'm going to bed. Sorting always makes me sleepy."

Harry went with him. "Just to make sure he doesn't get lost."

Hermione grinned. 'Yeah, Ron. The Sorting made the sandman come. It had nothing to do with being up 'til one,' she thought. 

She snuck out of the portrait hole and made her way to the Eastern Wing, keeping to the shadows and listening for people of authority.

~

Hermione padded silently up to the Astronomy Tower. She moved quietly to the ledge and looked up at the stars. Absent-mindedly, her hand moved to her Time-Turner. Her hand reached behind her neck and unsnapped the clasp. The chain snagged in her hair as the wind played with it. Suddenly, it fell out of her hands and the wind carried it, spinning, towards the lake. One curly brown hair was attached! "Oh, no!' Hermione gasped as she reached out to try to catch it. She leaned too far, lost her balance, and tumbled to the ground far below her. Everything went black somewhere between falling, time-travel, and screaming. 

A/N: This is where I tell you my plot. NOT! You'll just have to suffer until I decide who Hermione will fall (pardon the pun) for. Only two candidates, really, but they're a tough choice… 


	2. The Marauders Discover Something... Unus...

Disclaimer: I am not making any money off this story. Therefore, I am not violating any specific laws. I am simply exercising my creativity.

A/N: Well, here it is! Read and don't forget that little blue button at the bottom of the page…

Time Is A Pretzel

Chapter One:

Back on the Ground

"When I was younger,

So much younger than today,

I never needed anybody's help in any way.

And now these days have gone

I'm not so self-assured.

Now I find I've changed my mind

I've opened up the doors. -"

Help!

James Potter, Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew, and Remus Lupin were "casually strolling" along the grounds of Hogwarts, pondering the best way to hook up Peter and Moaning Myrtle, when the poor boy heard something plop into the lake. 

"What was that?" whispered Peter.

"I don't know what 'that' was, but I do know my foot isn't the ground," Sirius hissed back.

James normally would've silenced them both, but a shrill scream erupted through the silence. 

"What was that?" asked James. 

"Isn't that what I just said?"

"Shut-up, Peter. I'll go check it out." Sirius darted out from underneath the Invisibility Cloak and changed quickly into a bear-sized dog. Prongs followed quickly behind him. 

Remus turned to Peter. "Up for a ride?"

Peter shrugged. "Beats walking." With that, he became the rat that clung to Remus's shoulder. 

James caught up with Sirius who was looking at a girl very curiously.

'_What is it?_' James asked Sirius through an Animaji's telepathic communication.

'_Look at her robes!_' he commanded. '_They've got the Gryffindor seal on them, and she's obviously not a first year, but I've never seen her before._'

'_Me neither. What do we do?_'

There was silence between the two of them for a moment. Remus walked up behind them. "What I want to know is how she appeared out of thin air. I don't see an Invisibility Cloak on the ground."

James flashed back to his human self quickly enough to say, "Maybe it was a *Chameleon Cloak.*"

"Maybe," thought Remus out loud, "but then how was she revealed? Chameleon Cloaks are designed not to fall off."

Peter shivered on Remus's shoulder. '_Can was just get her inside? It's cold out here!_' he pleaded to Sirius.

Sirius popped back to relate Peter's good sense with the others.

"You take her, Moony. You're the one with arms and the Invisibility Cloak," James commanded. "We can stay outside the Cloak until we get inside Hogwarts. And what's the point of changing carriers?"

"Fine," Remus grumbled. He threw the cloak behind his shoulders to make his arms more capable of holding her as Peter scurried off. 

Remus tucked his hands under her neck and knees. Scooping her up as if she was a bag of potatoes, her body made an "M" shape over him. He hugged her to his chest, and James swept the cloak over them. 

'Well… I guess being a werewolf has its advantages,' thought Remus sulkily. He had discovered that the brute strength of the wolf was accessible when he was human. Although it was only limited to half what he could manage as a beast, it was still enough to make James and Sirius jealous. Peter merely dismissed it as another way his friends out-shone him.

Remus shifted the girl more into his grasp, for she was slipping. Her head slid off his shoulder and lolled back, and her lips parted slightly. 'Finally!' he thought. 'Someone else who knows about oral hygiene!' He mentally smacked himself, and was glad none of the other Marauders had heard that. He would have never heard the end of it.

He soon lost interest in her snow-white teeth and focused on her lips. They were pink and full with merely a tiny hint of lip-gloss, most certainly not lipstick. Lipstick took away the virtue, whereas lip-gloss merely added shine, and kept them from drying up. Besides, it didn't show up on your collar. He'd listened to James and Sirius talk about it so many times that he could probably have listed properties about forty-two different varieties of make-ups without really thinking. This was just as well, because he'd never allow himself to have a girlfriend. Nevertheless, he couldn't help flirting with a few of the nicer ones every now and again. Remus grinned as he thought about flirting with this girl…

He shifted her even closer. 'She smells like… the forest after a morning rain,' he decided.

Talk about your poetic subconscience. 

James shifted to open the door in front of them. Peter scurried up his right leg, and Sirius walked inside as a human. Remus followed him, kicking the wall with his foot, their signal he was inside the castle. James closed the door silently after him. 

Sirius gestured them inside an empty classroom after Peter had checked it for occupants.

Remus moved deftly but hurriedly inside and dropped the girl on the couch. With her weight gone, he straightened and unfastened the Cloak from around his neck. James looked at him with a worried expression. 

"What do we do with her? We can't take her to the tower; we don't know who she is," Peter hissed.

Sirius shook his head and grinned. "Peter, you may be an idiot (Peter scoffed), but you don't waste time with small talk."

James took the cloak Remus was offering him. "I have two ideas, if anyone wants to listen to them." Peter and Sirius stopped bickering long enough to acknowledge the fact that they were listening. "We can either go to Dumbledore, or we can leave her on the bench outside the Hospital Wing and let those nuns take care of her."

"Where am I?" whispered a voice from the couch. The Marauders spun around to look at the girl from nowhere. She was slowly sitting up and pressing the heel of her palm to her forehead. Her eyes opened, and she mumbled, "What are your names?"

Remus quickly knew that this girl was new. No one in Hogwarts didn't know the full name of the Marauders by the first week. 

"You're in Hogwarts, and I'm James Lionel Potter," said a tall, scrawny yet ironically graceful, black-haired boy with sparkling sapphire eyes dulled behind round spectacles.

"I'm Sirius Orion Black," growled the other tall, scrawny, black-haired boy with soft green-brown eyes. However, this boy was fuller in build, his hair was tame enough to be common, and he was definitely better looking. 

'_Not a bad specimen_," thought No-Name amusedly.

"I'm Peter Pabulum Pettigrew," said the short, slightly chubby, sandy-haired boy. She didn't bother to notice the color of his eyes.

"And I'm Remus Jade Lupin," he said with a blush. The girl noticed his tired milk-chocolate eyes, his bed-head brown hair, his worn robes, and his pale, scarred skin. She made a mental note to know this one better.

"And who are you? Huh?" Sirius retorted, obviously displeased that he had to explain himself to anyone, much less a fellow Gryffindor.

Remus could practically smell her temper flaring. She opened her mouth to snap back, but after a blank look crossed her face, she made her mouth smaller and whispered, "I don't know, really…"

*Footnote* - A Chameleon Cloak is very similar to the Advanced Invisibility Cloak in Riley's _Pawn to Queen_, the proper name of which I can't quite remember at this moment, with a few changes. The main difference is it blends into the surface upon which it settles (the reason James assumed one had disguised Hermione). You can compare it to the _Invisible Book of Invisibility_ if you wish. 

A/N: Mwa ha ha! You asked for it! *snickers*

Anyway, sorry for the cliffhangers, but I think there'll be a pattern here of many torturous cliffies… ;D

Anyway, it should be obvious now. However, just to make it confusing, she's probably gonna think seriously (bad pun alert!) about Sirius or Remus. Who knows? 

Anyway, R&R! I love y'all!


	3. Girls are Evil...

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

The shirt I mention in here is owned by one of my male friends. It's made by Top Heavy. I've had to ask that four times and resort to writing it in ink upon my arm before I could remember it to put it in here. 

A/N: I've decided they're all in their sixth year. Not their final, not directly after stuff we know about it. It's just right. 

Time Is A Pretzel

Chapter Two:

Hanging over Me

"Yesterday,

All my troubles seemed so far away.

Now it looks as though

They're here to stay.

Oh, I believe

In yesterday. -"

Yesterday

"This is ridiculous. Why should I believe that you aren't simply taking me off somewhere to lock me up? This Dumbledore of yours might be an idiot who won't do a thing for my memory," No-Name mumbled. 

"Shut-up." The Marauders glared at her. After Sirius had sparked her temper, not an entire team of firefighters would have been able to extinguish it. She simply refused to accept their decision. As if _she_ knew any better… 

Her feet stopped in the middle of the hall. Remus grabbed her arm, and she shook him loose. "I refuse to trust a man whom I have never met before with my mind."

Sirius pulled out his wand. Quicker than the eye could see, she shouted, "_Petrificus Totalus_!"

Peter slowly backed away.

"She hexed Sirius…" James whispered, a look of awe glowing in his eyes.

"What's so great about it? He was _so _slow," she sneered.

Remus lost the patience he had been trying to hold together. It didn't help that the full moon was due next week. "Sirius has almost all the Deflection charms mastered, not to mention the fastest reflexes at Hogwarts."

She shrugged. "Whatever."

From behind a statue of Nimbus Chastity, Peter snapped his fingers. "I can't believe I hadn't thought of it earlier!"

"What?" James asked while Remus performed the counter-curse.

"We could get the map!"

James gaped. He turned to face the girl. Before she could run, ropes flew from the tips of his wand and enveloped her. She opened her mouth to scream, and a flick of his wand created a Silencing Charm on her head. "_Expelliarmus_!" rid her of her only weapon, her wand.

"You're coming with us whether you like it or not."

~

Ron Weasley paced back and forth in front of the dying fire. "She's gone!" he moaned for the fortieth time.

Harry Potter had taken a far more different approach. The Marauder's Map lay at his feet, scanned too many times to count. He was slumped in a chair, his head falling between his knees, his arms hanging limply to the floor. She wasn't in the Great Hall, Dumbledore or McGonagall's office, the kitchens, library, Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, the Astronomy tower, the lake, and even though Harry had tried to vainly convince Ron that it was impossible, they had performed a Magnifying Charm on the Map to see if she had been locked in Snape's supplies cupboard.

"Ron, I have to admit I'm beginning to agree with you."

Crookshanks slinked out of the shadows on the girls' staircase and crossed the room to sink his teeth into Harry's robe. 

"Go away, Crookshanks. I'm not in the mood to play." Harry feebly waved his hand at the cat.

He released his hold on the material just long enough to hiss at him and returned to attempting to drag Harry out of the chair.

"D'you want out? Is that it?" Harry stumbled up and over to the portrait hole.

Ron's eyes brightened. "Hey Harry… Maybe Crookshanks knows where Hermione is?"

Harry looked thoughtfully at the cat as he sat on his plump rump outside the portrait hole, waiting for Harry to follow him.

"What the heck," he decided. "That cat always knows more about what's going on than we do. Let's go where he wants to take us."

~

Robes, books, broken Sneak-o-scopes, and the occasional pair of tie-dye boxers flew through the air. No-Name would have shrieked when she automatically caught a pair with falling hearts, but the Silencing Charm prevented any sound escaping her lips. Sirius emerged from his trunk triumphant, waving a piece of parchment about in the air. "Here it is!" he grinned. Nothing could have thrilled him more than to wake up finding this impudent girl silenced with a bubble on her head.

"I solemnly swear I am up to no good," he said, his wand tip resting lazily on the paper.

Thin spider lines bled to the very tips of the paper. Rooms, stairways, hallways, and tiny dots with labels appeared. No-Name blinked in wonder, for once, knowing a true lack of words to say.

James quickly pointed to a tower in the top right corner. Five dots clustered for space. A simple Magnifying Charm made it far more readable.

A black spot read "Mr. Wormtail" in thin, casual handwriting.

A loop in red ink attached to a slurred-together "Mr. Moony."

Navy blue wiggled slightly as the loopy, careless letters forming "Mr. Padfoot" formed groups and began attacking the other letters.

The main handwriting to defend itself was a scratchy, green "Mr. Prongs."

What caught most of their attention was small, tidy purple cursive reading "Hermione Granger."

Peter, James, and Sirius all turned to look expectantly at her, but Remus merely hunched over the map and traced her name with the tip of his fingernail.

'_Hermione Granger_,' he thought. '_It's a pretty name. I like it._'

Hermione was having thoughts of her own. '_"Hermione Granger," huh? Well, considering the blubber-heads put a Silencing Charm on me, I can't tell them that it doesn't help._' She raised a hand to tap on the golden bubble surrounding her head, and Sirius removed it with an absent-minded flick of his wand.

"It doesn't help." She shrugged.

James sighed. "Oh well. It was worth a shot. At least we know what to call you now."

Peter opened his small but long mouth in a loud yawn. Hermione marveled at how such a disturbing sound could issue from one so meek and small.

Nevertheless, the action set Hermione in thinking. "Where do I sleep? I'm _not_ sleeping in the bloody boys' dorm."

Sirius reluctantly pulled a warm knit blanket with a tartan print off his bed, dug a pair of Quidditch pants with tiny, flying Bludgers zooming around the print and an orange Muggle T-shirt that said in messy ink,

"Fugitive

(You Didn't See Me)"

out of his trunk.

Hermione flashed him a grateful smile and took the bundle he was offering her. She quickly said before she shut the door, "Thanks for all you've done. I know you're just trying to help." And with that, she left down the stairs. 

~

Sirius snuggled under the Gryffindor quilts, but with his family tartan wool blanket missing, he felt slightly exposed. 

An image of The Girl… no, Hermione… floated in his mind. His stomach felt compacted, as if someone had taken it and squeezed it until it was a mere pulp. 

Without realizing what his subconscience was screaming at him, he began to think. '_She's not exactly dazzling, like Lily… Her hair completely and totally sucks, but she does have a certain charm and self-confidence… And what a smile!… She's not exactly some ditz who'll let some guy walk all over her… I'm sick of those. Does any available girl have a brain these days?… This one's obviously smart… She might even be a Quidditch player, with those reflexes… I still can't believe she beat me in an informal duel! That's a first… and I guess when you put her in her place, she gets bearable… Not bad for a girl._'

~

Remus grinned up at the top of his bed. Red velvet trimmings drooped down, loose, relaxed, and intriguing.

He decided he liked this girl. For numerous reasons. Too many to list, really. 

'_Stop it Remus. You're a werewolf, a monster. And she's… she's so lovely. "Beauty and the Beast" is a fairy tale. It doesn't happen in real life. She belongs with someone like Sirius, someone who'll protect her, not attack her._' He looked at his hands, somewhat expecting to see paws rather than hands, claws rather than fingers.

But the tiny optimistic part of his mind imagined her snuggling close to him. He grinned at the images of stars that slowly shifted across their own enchanted ceiling.

~

Hermione slowly walked down the staircase. Thoughts, ones that needed immediate attention, bounced around her head.

She paused, fingers playing with the sleeve of Sirius's T-shirt, and her stomach clenched and her breath stilled while remembering waking up in Remus's arms, where she felt so _unlost_… '_But he probably thinks I'm a slut or something for hugging him like that._'

Then there was Sirius, who _was_ kind in a sense, but more complex. The loathing had had first regarded her with sparked her mind, and she admitted to herself how intriguing he was. At least he had brought her back some sense…

She picked a corner to change into the attire she had borrowed. Stripping quickly out of her robes, she pulled on the over-sized clothes over her skin and sprawled out over the couch nearest her. It was covered with soft wine-colored fabric and gold thread patterns. An over-stuffed gold pillow had the words "Courage Is Not An Absence Of Fear, But Merely Ignorance Of It," stitched on with excessive curlicues and swoops. One of Hermione's legs draped over the back, her other foot pressed against the arm. Grabbing two more pillows ("Ignorance Is Bliss," and "Trust Only Yourself. It Should Be Enough."), she fluffed them and sat up long enough to stick them under her head with her hair spread out in a Medusa-like fan behind her. Of course, her hands folded neatly over her stomach.

Her eyelids sealed shut with they lyrics to "Yesterday" floating through her voice and mind.

A/N: So… what y'all think will happen to poor 'Mione? Hmmm? All flames will be donated to Nathaniel Lee. His pyromania is being doused and I am intent on rekindling it. God, I have some bad jokes.

Anyway, y'all know to tell me when and where I screwed up. When the mistakes pile up, I go and fix them. Thanks for correcting me before.

I would just like to know where it says Lupin has grey eyes. I couldn't find it, and I reread most of PoA.


	4. Holy Shit!

Disclaimer: Need I explain myself?

"My Beloved Monster " is by the artists Eels, whom you had better bloody well know I don't own.

Time Is A Pretzel

Chapter Three:

A Girl with Kaleidoscope Eyes

"Cellophane flowers of yellow and green

Towering over your head.

Look for the girl

With the sun in her eyes,

And she's gone. -"

Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds

"HOLY SHIT!"

An overly loud voice penetrated every thick, sleepy head in the Gryffindor Tower. In response every sleepy head jerked upright. Well, every sleepy head but four moved. Four boys to be precise.

One particularly scruffy blonde had mumbled something, like "Yes, my Lord. Admiral Beta, track the ship… that's impossible. No ship that small has a cloaking device…" (A/N: For those of you ignorant people out there, that Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back.) "Contact Lord Vader. I will tell him myself and ask his forgiveness."

One brown-headed, obviously anti-morning person growled something under his breath, and burrowed his way deeper under the covers. "Go 'way, Mum. It's not time to get up yet… So what if it's three o'clock in the afternoon? My appointment doesn't start 'til three-fifteen…"

One of the two black-haired boy swung his legs out of bed, stretched his arms, yawned, and sang out in a strong, baritone voice, 

"My Beloved Monster Is Tough.

If she wants,

She will destroy you.

But if you lay her down for a kiss,

Her little heart,

It could explode. "

He ducked and laughed as a pillow flew at his head from the other scruffy black-haired boy's bed.

"Come on, _Shnookums_. Lady Lily requires an audience with you."

"Tell her to shove her face up my -"

"Now, now, _Shnookums_. That's no way to talk to your _girlfriend_."

"YOU FOUR ARE **MINE**!" the voice screeched again. Feet pounded up the staircase. All four sixth year Gryffindors were now fully awake and trying to hide behind James's tall build.

Their door slammed open. James quickly grabbed a bed-sheet and covered areas he didn't want publicized.

Instead of the expected fiery red-headed demon, in the doorframe stood a beaming, pajama-laden girl. Quickly spotting her prey, she ran over to him and hugged as tightly as she possibly could. Well, hugging was one part of what the other three stared at. Her un-glossy pink lips pressed firmly upon his.

Peter whistled. As James got over his shock and began to enjoy it, his cheeks filling with bright pink humiliation, Sirius tapped him on the shoulder.

He grinned. "Remember what you said about best friends sharing everything? Could we put that into action?"

Lily glared at him, and Remus could've sworn steam had hissed out of her ears. Instead of breathing fire, she walked over to Peter and Remus and sweetly kissed them on the cheek. When she got to Sirius, she grinned at him exactly like he had grinned at James, lifted up her right hand (painted fingernails and all), and ruffled his hair. "But, Siri, you have no one to return the favor with," she said sarcastically. He grinned sheepishly in reply.

James, who seemed to have regathered his brain, cleared his throat and took Lily's hand. "Anyway, Lils, what were you screaming about?"

"Me," said Hermione. Remus spun around to look at her. Hair disheveled (not that there was much of a difference, anyway), one side of her face red from leaning on something too hard too long, and an abominable frown creasing her mouth. Sirius's clothes were wrinkled and merely hanging off her. '_What a morning beauty._'

"The terror from the lake has finally emerged," Sirius joked.

Hermione pierced him with her eyes. "Shut the hell up, Black."

Lily left James and the arm he had draped protectively over her shoulder and grabbed Hermione by the fists clenching by her waist. "Come on… er…"

"Hermione," she gritted through her teeth, her eyes still boring holes into Sirius's head.

"Come on, Hermione. I think you and I are about the same size. I'll lend you some clean robes, and we'll fix up. Come on, now…" Before they left, Hermione refrained from thinking up ways to slowly kill Sirius and flashed Remus a small smile. He blushed and looked away.

~

Lily pulled open a drawer from her large dresser and handed Hermione a robe. As she changed, Lily averted her eyes.

"So…" Lily racked her brain for polite conversation. "Why were you sleeping on the couch?" Oh well. At least she could say she'd tried.

Hermione sighed as she smoothed out the robe over her stomach. "Long version or short?"

"Short."

"First of all, I have amnesia, and I don't have any memories before waking up in… well, waking up. I just remember stuff I learned, like magic, nothing personal. I only remember falling… Anyway, the guys brought me back to the dorm instead of taking me to Bumblebore, or whatever his name is. I refused to sleep in their room, so Sirius gave me a blanket, T-shirt, and pants to sleep in, and I fixed myself up in the Common Room."

"Oh, okay." Lily pulled on the cuff of her sleeve and adjusted the Snitch ring on her finger. "Would you mind if I did your make-up? I'm just itching to see what I can do with your complexion!"

Hermione shrugged. " I don't care."

"Yes!"

~

"Moony has a cru-ush! Moony has a cru-ush!"

"Shut-up, Prongs!" Remus moaned, and proceeded to bury his head in his pillow.

"Look at him blush!" Peter squeaked.

Remus just buried deeper.

"You know what I think," Sirius began thoughtfully.

"I doubt you think at all," Remus mumbled through the goose down.

Sirius shot him a glare, although Remus couldn't have seen it. "I think _Wormtail_ likes Hermione."

Remus's head immediately departed Pillow World. An adorable lop-sided grin revealed his sparkling white teeth, all of them slightly menacing.

Peter looked (and felt) the complete opposite. His chin was brushing the floor, and his eyes were as wide as they could possibly be. "I… I… I never thought that… She's not… EWWWWW!" James doubled over with hysterical laughter. Peter gathered his puny brain back together and narrowed his eyes at Sirius. 

"But then again, Padfoot, I wasn't the one _flirting _with her…"

"You know what I think," Remus began thoughtfully.

"Moony, old friend! Defend me! Save me from this humiliation!" Sirius clasped his hands together and got down on his knees. His bottom lip quivered as his eyes sparkled with laughter.

"I think Sirius _does _like Hermione."

"NOOOOOO!"

~

"So do you _really_ think he knows anything about it?"

Harry shrugged. "Well, I'm not sure, but I'd trust him over Trevor the Frog any day." He gestured to the waggling bottom of the orange fuzzball. "I mean, even though it _did_ try to scalp you, it knew about Peter and Sirius."

Ron frowned. As Crookshanks looked over his shoulder at them, he pointed and shouted, "God! Hermione taught that cat too much! Look how it's acting like her!"

Crookshanks hissed sharply at him and turned the corner. Three feet down the dark hallway sat an old wooden door. The iron decorations on the front were black and chipping. In some places, the wood was smooth. In others, it was expanding. In some, carvings of initials made their imprint upon time. Crookshanks was adding his own set of markings with his claws. "Mrrow?"

Harry stepped forward, grasped the iron handle on the left side of the door, and pulled with all the strength he had. It slowly creaked open, and stale air burst out, traces of dust with it. Ron coughed loudly, and after Harry had wiped his glasses off with his robe, he shushed him. "Don't you get the feeling that someone's watching?" he whispered.

"Yeah, but no one's been here in forever," Ron whispered back. "Just look at all that dust." 

Harry peered after his pointing finger. Dust, and loads of it! Inches thick on every solid surface, everything was hued with grey. A banner hung across from the doorway. Fear itched Harry's nose right along with the dust. Ron's sneeze from behind him indicated that he wasn't the only one.

Crookshanks, not showing if he knew of allergies or not, padded into the room without the slightest hint of respect. Harry and Ron followed him. Crookshanks jumped onto two chairs, sending dust flying. Ron sat down gingerly in one, and Harry occupied the other. The watched as the cat ran from place to place in an attempt to clear some of the dust. Even on some tables, he rolled over them with the prospect of using his fur as a cloth. By the time he finished, his name could have been "Smokey" instead of Crookshanks. Nevertheless, the difference was remarkable. 

With a quick flick of his wand, Harry started a flame in the beautiful fireplace. The dry wood made excellent fuel. The flickering light cast eerie shadows across the room. At the darkest corner of a room was a bookcase. Ron stood up and walked over to it. Crookshanks (for once) followed him. He jumped to the third shelf from the bottom and batted a large book with his paw until it fell to the ground. Ron picked it up and went back to the table to share the discovery with Harry, who had been trying to clear the dust off the banner. It was faintly readable, but not enough for a sixteen-year-old who desperately needed a new lens prescription.

Ron opened the red leather cover to the title page.

A small crest with the letters M, W, P, and P intertwined within the branches of a willow tree floated from the bottom right corner to the middle of the page. Words appeared on the page.

__

"Password?"

Harry and Ron exchanged glances and nodded. Harry picked up a quill and a bottle of nearly dried up ink. He hesitated, then wrote, _"I solemnly swear I am up to no good?"_

"Wrong. But where'd you learn that?"

"Not relevant. We were looking for a lost friend, and her cat brought us here. What's in this book?"

"That's for us to know, and you to find out. Do you know why the cat brought you here?"

"No. We just followed it."

"Apparently the cat has more brains than you do if it can figure out where to look and you can't."

"It usually knows more about what's going on the we do." Harry dipped the quill in ink, then wrote, _"If I tell you my name, would it help?"_

"Probably not. Unless you've figured out how to Apparate on Hogwarts grounds, we're not interested. But go ahead anyway. We could use a good laugh."

"My name is Harry Potter."

Nothing came back. 

__

"Are you still there?" Harry scratched out.

__

"Keep your shirt on! Now, Mr. Prongs would like to know one question -"

"Am I his son?" Harry scribbled quickly. _"Yes."_

There was another pause. _"Sorry about the insults. Terrible fun making people grouch and all that…"_

"Which one of you is this?"

"Do you really want to know?"

"Yes!"

"Really?"

"Yes!"

"Positive?"

"JUST ANSWER ALREADY!"

"Mr. Prongs."

"This is Ron Weasley, Harry's best friend. Harry's unconscious right now, so can you let me in?"

"Oh, sure. By the way, the password's 'Shnookums.'"

Ron, with the most curious look on his face, spoke it aloud, and with a harsh crack, the pages broke apart. He didn't bother to wake Harry up as he turned the pages of photographs. Little footnotes captured his interest here and there, and occasionally one scribbled as he watched.

Near one quarter of the way through, Ron shook Harry awake. "Harry! Harry, look! It's her!"

He pulled Harry up from the floor and pointed at a picture with five people sitting around the Gryffindor fireplace and throwing books at each other. In the far left, her face obscured by papers every now and again, a straight-haired girl with twinkling blue eyes and a dazzling smile was laughing and throwing a book at a teenage boy with scruffy brown hair.

Harry whispered underneath his breath, "Holy shit."

A/N: MWA HA HA!! 

By the way, JOHN WILLIAMS ROX! He's the composer that wrote Harry Potter music, Star Wars, E.T., Hook, Far and Away, Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park, Jaws, etc. He is sooo cool!

Ummm… don't forget to review, blah blah blah.

Love ya!


	5. Moony Is Gonna Be SO Pissed...

Disclaimer: Uhhh… well, I don't own anything associated with J.K. Rowling, Bloomsbury, Scholastic, Inc., Mary Grand Pre, besides my own copy of the books, tapes, and assorted Christmas Ornaments.

A/N: I have nothing to say at this current time.

Time Is A Pretzel

Chapter Four:

Misunderstanding All You See

"Let me take you down,

'Cause I'm going to Strawberry Fields.

Nothing is real,

And there's nothing to get on about.

Strawberry Fields forever. -"

Strawberry Fields Forever

"I don't wear a lot of make-up for a reason," Hermione said. Her shoulders heaved with the weight of a sigh.

"Oh, stop moving. How do you expect me to get this mascara right if you keep blinking?" A crease ran down Lily's forehead, and she began to chew on her lip.

Hermione set her jaw and stared herself down in the mirror. Not bad, really. And coming from Hermione, that was sheer worship. Nearly a whole bottle of hair gel had been used to straighten her hair. But according to the bottle, it would last an entire week. One small braid on the right side of her head added a carefree, mischievous look.

Lily had insisted on bringing out her blue eyes with a light shading of baby blue and gold eye shadow, and a soft pink lipstick had replaced her lip-gloss. Some different shades of blush gave her skin a healthy tan and rosy cheeks. It was when Lily pulled a pair of tweezers from her drawer Hermione put her foot down.

"You are _not_ attacking me with those… those… pliers!"

"Don't be such a bitch. Just a few plucks here and there…"

"No! Leave my eyebrows alone! I don't want penciled eyebrows!"

"You won't! Just underneath, at least…"

"NO!"

Lily frowned. "Fine. Give me your nails then."

Hermione laid her hand on the bed. An entire case of what looked like medical equipment was thrown beside it along with a bottle of baby blue and white polish.

Done at last, a faint smell of coconut floating from the cuticle oil, Hermione gently blew on her fingernails.

"They're pretty," she admitted. "You'll have to teach me how to do stuff like this." Lily had painted two layers of soft blue, and then used a blot technique for a cloud effect.

"Thanks. That's the first time I've ever tried something like that."

"Can I ask a question?" Hermione asked, not meeting Lily's eyes.

"Shoot. I have no secrets."

"Are you the only sixth year here?"

"Yup. Practically everyone else was placed in either Ravenclaw or Slytherin. That's just my luck… anyway, so that's why I'm such good friends with James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter. They're the only ones my age. The problem is, though, I can't talk about who I like. So Mazzazoah here is my confidant" She held up a very worn, brown fuzz bear. Hermione cooed, as expected, and noted sorrowfully that one of his eyes was missing. "He probably knows more about me than I do. But if you stay in Gryffindor, then I can talk to you too."

Hermione shrugged. "Maybe."

Lily sat down and hugged Mazzazoah to her chest. "I'm so sorry for rambling on like this. You probably think I'm stupid."

"No, not really. Just eager to meet me."

"Yeah, kind of. But how do _you_ feel?"

"I feel like, if I smile, my face is going to crack."

Lily doubled up with laughter.

~

"So, you gonna ask her out Moony?" Sirius folded his arms over his chest, grinned, and leaned back against the wall.

The werewolf in question scratched his left forearm with his rapidly growing fingernails. "I dunno, really. I mean, we've only just met. What if I piss her off? And I'm not sure I want to tell her about my Lycanthropy…"

"Perfectly understandable. I'd wait at least a week if I were you, Moony. All you really know about her is she's quick and knows a few good curses," Wormtail added.

Remus nodded. "I think I'll do that."

James merely grinned. _'It's about time Remus was in the middle of one of these conversations,'_ he thought.

"Hey, Prongs, up for a game of chess? I feel like strategic thinking tonight." Sirius called out. Quiet always made him nervous.

"Sure. Let's go."

~

"Could you be any more ignorant?" James could do nothing but gape on as Sirius scoffed and took his queen with a castle. "You don't take a pawn with a queen in the castle's column!"

"Sorry if I don't obsess over a stupid game played on a black and white board," James retorted.

"Sorry if I'm not as pathetic than Remus at this game." Sirius smirked.

"Hey! It's not exactly a thinking game, is it?" Remus shouted from across the room.

James and Sirius exchanged glances, and tried to snigger as quietly as they could. Remus humphed to himself, and continued his game of Exploding Snap with Peter and a confused-looking fourth year.

Sirius glanced up from the board to wave at Lily creeping up behind James in a sneak attack. James looked over his shoulder, and Lily put her hands on her hips, glaring at Sirius for ruining her fun. But Sirius was looking thoughtfully at Hermione, who was standing quietly by the staircase. She was looking, almost hungrily, at their chessboard. Sirius waved his hand to get her attention.

"Hey! Hermione! Can you play?"

She looked up, startled, as if she didn't receive much contact with the outside world. Sirius was shocked at the animal fright detectable in her eyes. Then the fright faded away, to be replaced with comfort. "I suppose so. I don't remember if I'm good or anything, but I might as well try."

James nodded, waved a hand at the pieces, restoring themselves to their original positions, and left the table to go sit with Lily on the couch. While Hermione seated herself on the floor, Sirius moved his pieces back by hand. She picked up her black marble queen. "This is a beautiful chess set," she murmured.

"Thanks," Sirius chirped happily. "My dad bought it for me for Christmas after I won the Hogwarts Championship. The pieces cost about twenty Galleons each."

Hermione's eyes swelled, and she set the queen back down. "What happens when there's a capture?"

"Oh, don't worry, they're Muggle pieces. I think Wizarding sets are barbaric."

"Me too!" She put a hand to her head. "Whoa, don't know where that came from!"

"It's okay. Let's just play. Now, white goes first, so -"

"I have amnesia. I'm not stupid."

"Sorry." He picked up his king's pawn and moved it forward two squares.

Hermione instinctively moved her kingside knight in front of the bishop's pawn.

The games continued for several hours. They talked while they played, in hopes of both distracting the other and getting to know them. 

Sirius had won the first two games, Hermione the third, and the fourth was taking the longest by far. One hour after they had begun, Hermione had three pawns, the white-square bishop, one knight, and one rook. Sirius had tucked in the little cave made by his folded legs, two rooks, five pawns, and one knight. 

Hermione was puzzling her next move, so Sirius preoccupied himself with looking at her. It was nice, and he always refused to look at the board whenever he made an obvious move in an attempt not to draw attention to it. It usually worked, too. The firelight lit up one half of her face, and the other echoed softly in shadow. Lily had done her make-up, obviously. There was something about Lily's taste that screamed quietly at you. Her lipstick was smeared, though. Her fingers had played with it too often. "Hey, Hermione," he whispered softly.

"What?" she whispered in reply. Her eyes didn't even pause in darting around the board. 

"You have lipstick (she looked up after she had moved her bishop) right there." He pointed to the upper right corner of his mouth.

"Here?" She wiped the upper left corner.

"No, let me get it for you." He leaned across the board and raised a tentative hand to wipe the spot from her mouth. He took her chin in his fingers and used his thumb to brush over it. She closed her eyes in response. He smiled as her chin leaned forward into his cupped palm.

"Hermione?" Sirius whispered.

"Hmm?"

"Checkmate."

Her eyes darted open. She looked down at the board. Sirius' queen sat pompously in front of her king. His bishop sat in front of her knight, guarding the queen from her only assault. He grabbed her hand, shook it firmly, and walked off to watch the three hundred and seventy sixth game of Exploding Snap.

"But… but… but…" she whimpered.

"Damn you, Black."

~

The sun had begun its brilliant finale of reds, golds, and purples when Hermione knocked on the fifth-year male dormitory door. 

"Come in!" someone shouted through the noises made by the other three. 

She opened the door and walked over to their circular table. A squashed, empty box of Muggle cards by Peter's right elbow, and as Sirius quickly pressed two sevens on top of a queen of hearts, James slapped the pile of cards and neatly tucked them under his large stock.

"What are you guys playing?" she asked as James tossed an ace of diamonds and the others cheered.

"Egyptian Rat Race," Remus answered quickly, then set down a jack of clubs. Peter and Sirius cheered even louder as James moaned in agony.

She opened her mouth in an attempt to ask how it was played. "Don't ask," they all muttered simultaneously. She shrugged.

"Aren't you supposed to take me to see Professor Bumblebore?"

"Oh, crap."

"Shit."

"Oops."

"So?"

The four stood up, picked her up, and carried her out of the common room at a run.

~

One "Blood Pops" later, the five sat in Professor Dumbledore's office.

"So, let me get this straight. You four were outside, you saw something fall into the lake, Peter, am I correct? Yes? Good. Then you heard Miss Granger's scream. You found her unconscious, carried her inside and into a classroom. She woke up there, and you went back to your dorms without bringing her to me?"

"I'm sorry, sir," Hermione said. "I refused to see you. I was afraid you'd lock me up or something."

"Perfectly understandable reaction. You were nervous, a common result of amnesia, and didn't wish to trust four young men you'd just met."

"I suppose so, sir."

"Well, Miss Granger, to share a secret with you, I don't trust them myself. And I have my memory! But I'm afraid there's no safe way to bring _your _memory back with magic. You can wait for it to come back on its own, or Madam Pomfrey can try to scare it out of you."

"_Scare_ it out of her?" Remus asked, repulsed at the sound of it.

"Yes, Mr. Lupin. She would be tied down, a complex spell would take control of her body and use violence in an attempt to force her to remember events in her life."

"That's horrible!" Peter gasped.

"Yes, Mr. Pettigrew, it is horrible. It has killed several good people."

"I think I'll let my memory come back on its own, Professor… Dumbledore."

The Headmaster nodded. "Now, we must get you school supplies since you have none. Hogwarts will supply you with the necessary funds, as you are, in terms, a guest. These four young gentlemen and Miss Lily Evans will wish to escort you to Diagon Alley, I'm sure. You will find everything you need there. I am glad to see you have a wand. It will save you precious time. After all, it took me five hours to find a wand that didn't blow something up when I waved it." Hermione laughed, and the Marauders chuckled.

Dumbledore smiled. He reached into his desk for a piece of parchment. "This is your list of sixth year supplies. I assume you are that old?"

"I wouldn't really know, sir."

"True, true. Well, we'll simply place you in that year and determine if you belong there or not."

"Thank you, sir." She took the list and stood up. 

"You are excused, Miss Granger." He shook her hand. "And do try to avoid the joke shop. Mr. Potter, Pettigrew, Lupin, and Black visit there quite enough."

She smiled. "I'll try, sir. Goodbye."

"Goodbye, Miss Granger."

~

Hermione stepped into the fire and shouted, "The Leaky Cauldron," like the other three before her. With a thud and swoosh, she stepped out of the fireplace into the dark pub. A man with seven teeth smiled at them and asked, "A Butterbeer, Mr. Potter?"

"Not this time, Tom. We have to take Hermione Granger to get her Hogwarts stuff." Hermione almost felt like she was getting in the way.

"All right. Next time, huh?"

"Maybe."

As the Marauders, Lily, and Hermione were stepping into the back alley, Tom called after them, "Try not to blow up the new fountain this time!" Laughter followed.

Sirius walked up to a trash can by the wall and pulled out his wand. "Remember this, Hermione, in case you need to get into Diagon Alley again." He pointed at the tallest trash can, walked his fingers three bricks up, two across, and tapped the final brick three times with his wand. A tiny pinprick leaked out from the spot his wand had tapped and spread like wildfire across the wall. Soon a hole large enough for the five of them to walk through was revealing an open courtyard with streets winding off the main center circle and a small but proud fountain with a circle of benches creating a ring around the crystalline water.

"Wasn't that fountain… bigger?" Hermione asked, a straining, puzzled look on her face.

"No… It was installed last July. Brand new." Peter quirked an eyebrow in question.

"I swear it was larger last time I saw it."

"Then you must be Sybil Trelawney's good twin… er… I certainly hope she couldn't have an _evil_ twin." Remus shrugged off his bad joke. 

"Whatever. Come on, Hermione, I'll take you to the stores and help you pick out equipment. You four take this list and go get Hermione's books." Lily plucked the packet from Hermione's hands and split the lists up. "And try not to sneak in _The Best Herbs to Humiliate Someone's Potion With_. The ugly git has enough problems of his own in charms." Lily laughed at her own insult. James's deep chuckle joined her own carefree music.

"Well, let's go then." Remus snatched the list of books and began walking towards a wooden sign with gold lettering reading "Flourish & Blott's."

James pecked Lily on the cheek and walked off with the other Marauders.

Lily, still happily blushing, turned to Hermione. "Come on. Madam Malkin's. Best get the robes first, while the boys are preoccupied. Good thing Dumbledore gave us this money." She took Hermione's leather bag tinkling with coins and tucked it in her purse.

Hermione checked the first list. "I need Gryffindor robes, standard black, and at least one pair of dress robes."

"We'll get you two. It looks stupid if you turn up in the same pair of dress robes twice." Lily pocketed the list as well.

~

Hermione adjusted the three bags on her shoulders. She felt the fabric of five new casual robes in one bag and two new dress robes in the second shift and rub against each other. She liked her new dress robes; one was of a silvery liquid silk that was similar to that of an Invisibility Cloak, and the other was of deep red velvet. The robe with the blue-silver silk was low-cut with no shoulder covering, and the skirts were very classic with the smooth fabric just brushing the floor. Strap shoes the same color as the fabric and white silk gloves that flowed past her elbow were the accessories she had bought with it.

The blood red velvet was much more elaborate. Tiny glass crystals outlined the halter with a floral motif. There was no back, emphasizing her graceful neck. Then the fabric gathered in beautiful folds, and dragged two feet behind her. Again the beads crusted the triangular end of the dress. A rhinestone tiara, earrings, and blood red high-heels were contained within the smaller bag inside.

The other bag contained a new cauldron and the necessary ingredients. Quills, parchment, ink, and a small notebook to write down assignments in were in the bag on Lily's left shoulder. They were done with shopping for their supplies, and Lily insisted on going to the bookshop instead of having a sundae at Florean Fortescue's Ice-Cream Parlor. "God knows what they've blown up so far."

~

"Hurry it up, James," Sirius hissed between his teeth. "She's coming!"

"Lily's done shopping _already_? They had enough money in that bag to buy their own fast food franchise!"

James shot a quick glance at Remus and Peter across the store, where they were convincing the salesclerk that they hadn't stolen all the Galleons they had. He blew quickly but gently on the wax seal.

"Aren't we rushing things a little?" Sirius asked.

James looked up underneath his bangs. "Sirius? Are you growing a conscience?" he teased.

He shrugged. "I just think Remus should make his own decisions."

James returned to the red candle wax, quickly solidifying. "It's about time he had a girlfriend."

"Oh, I agree whole-heartedly. But I think setting Remus up with someone who appeared at Hogwarts last night is a little… precocious."

"Big words don't process."

"Rushed. What if she -"

The chimes tinkled as Lily Evans pushed open the door to the bookshop, followed by a fascinated Hermione Granger. James picked up the letter and walked over to the shelf of history books she was scanning her finger over. He tapped her on her shoulder and thrust the letter underneath her nose.

"Here. This is for you."

A/N: A LONG CHAPTER! I'm so proud!

I just want to point out that since Harry and Ron were looking for her in my last chapter, she doesn't come back to Hogwarts. Unless she found some short cut, she would be too old to attend school.

I'm writing this Sunday, 1:34 AM by the way. 

__

Any Flames _ever _submitted by friends will be promptly used in a Bitch-Burning.


	6. Lights, Camera, ROMANCE!

Disclaimer: Who cares anymore besides the lawyers?

I also don't own Agatha Christie. Nevertheless, isn't it fitting that someone as clever as she was should be a witch?

A/N: Major Thanks to everyone who reviewed! The thing I love most about FFN is all the support you receive through other authors! :: sighs happily::

Here's a challenge for you: Can anyone spot an allusion (reference to something well known) to a Charles Dickens book in here? I'm not telling which one, because then it would be _too_ easy.

Time Is A Pretzel 

Chapter Five:

Doing What We Can

"You say you want a revolution.

Well, you know we all want to change the world. 

You tell me that it's evolution.

Well, you know we all want to change the world.

And when you talk about destruction,

Don't you know that you can count me out? -"

Revolution

Hermione blinked. "What is it?"

"Well, duh," laughed James. "It's a letter."

"Who's it from?"

"Remus. He asked me to give it to you."

"Why couldn't he hand it to me himself?"

"I don't know. Just take it."

Hermione hesitated, then pulled it from his grasp. "Thanks." She puzzled over the candy-apple-red wax seal with a plant that looked something like Lupine winding around the letter "R."

She thrust it in her bag and turned back to the bookshelf. 

As soon as James walked off to ask Lily what she was looking at, Hermione looked over her shoulder towards Remus. He had managed to convince the cashier to allow them to buy the books. While the grumbling young man was adding up the total cost, Remus was looking at a book on display. When Hermione squinted, she could make out the title Love Is A Many Splendored Thing. One eyebrow shot up her forehead as he picked it up and added it to the tall stack. Hermione turned back to come face to cover with a frowning book. She picked it up, read the blurb, and walked over to the counter to buy it.

Everything was sorted at the counter. Remus, Peter, and Hermione began lightly chatting about how they thought that Hogwarts should teach Muggle classes as well as magic, so wizards and witches would not fall behind Muggles in the real world. Hermione barely registered Lily hissing at James and Sirius across the store.

In ten minutes time, all six of them were travelling by way of Floo Powder back to Hogsmeade.

~

It was dinnertime in Hogwarts and the very walls seemed to be licking their lips. The Marauders had immediately stormed to the Great Hall after they had dumped Hermione's books in the Gryffindor Common Room. Lily, however, had the good tact to offer Hermione help in putting away her things. She gratefully accepted.

Lily had appointed herself to put away Hermione's formal and casual robes in her closet. She pulled Hermione's undergarments out of the bag and told her she could figure out where to put those herself. Hermione was to put away her other things. While they moved as quickly as they could, Lily couldn't help but gossip about people Hermione had no idea about.

"And I knew, I just knew! I told Nancy Spotter (A/N: fifth-year Gryffindor cheerleader and, in the future, Oliver Wood's mother) that Charley Wood (A/N: Ravenclaw seventh-year Quidditch fanatic and, in the future, Oliver Wood's father) liked her. But she didn't listen. And then he asked her to go to Hogsmeade with him, and she had already made a date with Bill Pierce. So poor Nancy had to go with a Slytherin who cheats instead of that sweet Ravenclaw Keeper." (A/N: Don't bug me about the Slytherin/Gryffindor thing, all right? Nancy's a little… _thick _when it comes to guys.)

Hermione had finished putting away her potion things and began organizing the books. She reached down for her fourteenth and final book when she realized it was what Remus had given to the salesman: a romance-novel sized red book with gold lettering reading Love Is A Many Splendored Thing. Automatically, she flipped to the back and read the two paragraphs.

"Do you lack a little romance in your life, but it's not because others don't want you? Find out from heart-warming tales some of the joys of love and how _not_ to be afraid of the opposite sex.

"'Sometimes love is a little frightening because you think it will destroy the person you love. That's not true! Love is like fertilizer; it helps the flower bloom more beautifully. Romance is the thing that this world would thrive on.'"

Hermione stashed the reasonably small book in one of her many pockets. She'd give it to Remus if they were alone.

Which reminded her, she hadn't read the letter! But not while someone else could see…

Lily tapped her on the shoulder. "Ready to go to lunch?"

Hermione stuffed the letter in another pocket as she stood up. "Lead the way!"

~

As Hermione entered the door of the Great Hall, Headmaster Dumbledore stood up. "Students of Hogwarts, your attention please!" The heads of nearly every student looked up at him. 

"We have a new student! She has been placed in Gryffindor, in sixth year, and I hope that you will all welcome her here. May I present Miss Hermione Granger!"

Hermione blushed as everyone turned to look at her and clap. 

After the appreciation had subsided into whispered gossip, Lily led Hermione to the table where Sirius, James, Remus, and Peter sat. Lily took the seat between James and Sirius, and Hermione had no place to sit but between Peter and Remus. She noticed a tad of color rise to Remus' cheeks as she settled into her seat and reached for the chicken wings.

Lunch passed by uneventfully, and after everyone but Hermione and Remus had left the Great Hall, Hermione turned to look at him. He kept his eyes glued to his empty plate.

Hermione looked away first. "Remus, I found this with my other books. I remember seeing you buy it." She took the book out of her pocket and handed it to him.

"Thanks," Remus muttered as he stuffed the book in his pocket.

"No problem." Remus got up to leave, paused, and leaned down to kiss Hermione on the lips. She reached out a hand to his chest and pushed him away. He stopped, quickly rose, and left the Hall.

Hermione followed him with her eyes and, after the door slammed shut, asked herself, "What have I done?"

Perhaps that letter would provide some answers. 

So she pulled it out of her pocket, broke the seal, and began to read, her jaw dropping further with every sentence.

~

Remus was having a bad day. Peter could tell. He had shouted the password at the Thin Lady, refused to really talk with anybody, and slammed the dormitory door shut in everyone's face. 

James and Sirius shared a look that read, "Uh-oh."

Now what had they done?

~

Hermione raced through the halls to try to find the entrance to the Gryffindor Portrait Hole. Out of breath, she stopped and sat down. "Think, girl, think. What do you do if you're lost?"

"Well, m'dear, I should be glad to escort you to wherever you wish to go."

Hermione looked over her shoulder to a portrait of an old lady with what seemed to be twenty million cats. "Who are you?" she asked incredulously. 

"Lady Madonna." Hermione raised an eyebrow. She giggled. "I've always wanted to say that. But my name is really Agatha Christie."

"Can you give me some advice?"

"Ask away."

"Well, I just got here, and already someone's tried to kiss me." She paused, and Dame Christie nodded. "I didn't let him, and he stalked off. But earlier, one of his friends gave me a letter from him and it wasn't at all what he's been acting like."

"Can I hear what this letter says?"

"Sure." Hermione pulled it out of her pocket and unfolded it. She cleared her throat, and began.

"_'Dear Hermione, I know you haven't been here long, but already I think you're the nicest girl I've ever met. I thought about you all last night, and I decided what I feel for you must be love. When you're not near me, I miss you as the sun misses the flower, the moon misses the stars, and the garden missed the rain. You are my calm, my excitement, and the other half of my soul. Without you, my heart would stop its beating. Without you, my life would be worth less than nothing. I hope that my feelings are not alone. Love…'_ Well, do I have to tell you his name?"

"It would help," Agatha whispered quietly.

"It's Remus Lupin."

Agatha's eyes flashed with surprise. "_Remus Lupin!_ Are you sure?"

"He tried to kiss me."

"He _never_, _ever_ openly likes a girl! You must be very special indeed."

Hermione was puzzled. "Why doesn't he ever like a girl?"

"I'm not the right person to tell you that, dear. If he wants you to know, he'll tell you."

"Thank you. I'll ask him. Now, which way is the Gryffindor Tower?"

"That way." Dame Christie pointed down the hall she had been following. "Ally here will go with you." An orange cat with bright green eyes perching on her left shoulder meowed in greeting and hopped gracefully to the next portrait.

"Thank you, Miss Christie."

"Anytime, dear."

A/N: So what do you think about that? Some Remus action for you! Hermione wasn't too ready for it, was she? Well, we'll find out how this works out next chapter. _Maybe_…

I had a review telling me that Hermione was too… mean in the first few chapters. Therefore, I changed her attitude a little bit. However, I am NOT changing the prologue any further. That's just how she was. Deal with it.

I suppose that's it besides:

R&R! I love y'all!


	7. Men really ARE from Mars...

Disclaimer: I have a goofy dog and I'm not afraid to use it. Don't even try to sue me.

One line that Sirius tells Remus is from Sheryl Crow's "Soak Up the Sun."

I'm not sure if what I'm quoting is a song or a poem, but it's from Blackbird Singing, a collection of poetry by Paul McCartney. And the poem is "Maybe I'm Amazed."

A/N: I hate my computer. The phone line I use for computer purposes has been "temporarily disconnected." Now I can't send out e-mail or read my beloved fanfiction.

Hey… soaking mini-Oreos™ in a tall glass of milk isn't too bad… You can let them sit because they float, so you don't have to hold onto them… Maybe this world isn't so bad after all… Great. One sunk. Now I have to go get a spoon & napkin…

I'll stop rambling now. As fun as it is. Anyway, Ron _will_ be in this chapter. Even though he's not my favorite character. I have problems with people who take everything offensively.

And here you go.

Time Is A Pretzel

Chapter Six:

Afraid

"Maybe I'm amazed at the way you love me all the time

And maybe I'm afraid of the way I love you,

Maybe I'm amazed at the way you pulled me out of time,

You hung me on a line

Maybe I'm amazed at the way I really need you."

With a few interested looks from James, Sirius, and Lily, Hermione mounted the stairs to the boys' dormitory and knocked boldly on the sixth year door.

"Is that you, Lils?" a broken voice croaked from inside the room. The door swung inwards to reveal Remus, button-up shirt half-open, his cheeks shining with tears, and his hair looked as if it had recently been disheveled, then hastily haven his fingers run through it. A near-silent, "Oh," was the word with which he greeted her.

Hermione kicked the carpet for her stupidity. "Can I come in? I want to talk to you about…" She paused. "You know."

Remus nodded and stepped back. After she had sat down in a chair, he closed the door, locked it manually, and placed a Silencing Charm on the room. Briefly explaining, he mumbled, "James and Sirius don't have the word 'privacy' in their dictionary."

They simply looked at each other for a minute or two; both lost in the other's gaze, and both waiting for someone to start.

Hermione began. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

"I know."

"It's just… I've only been here a full day, and I haven't really gotten to know any of you that well. Everyone has a personality, which _hopefully _amounts to more than a first impression -"

"My first impression of you was that I had finally seen an angel."

Both of their voices plunged back into silence.

"Did you really mean what you wrote?" Hermione whispered meekly.

One of Remus's eyebrows rose slightly, a more common sign of surprise. "Wrote? I don't remember writing anything."

Hermione fumbled in her pocket for the letter. "I have it right here," said Hermione as she handed it to him.

The cherry seal lifted slowly as he recognized it as his own. A quick glance at the words confirmed the handwriting as his own. After reading the contents, he knew the words were _not_ his own.

He interpreted "Love…" and set down the letter next to him.   
Trembling hands went immediately to his throbbing temples and began to rub them gently. "I did not write that," he said slowly. "I'm sorry you thought I did, but I swear to God I didn't."

"But could you have?" Hermione asked him. She blushed, and decided to rephrase that. "I mean, do you feel _that _(she gestured towards the letter on the bed) way about me?"

"I don't want to commit to anything. But who gave you that letter?"

Hermione registered the hasty subject change and almost welcomed it with open arms. "James did. Do you think he…?"

"Most definitely." He rose quickly off the bed, stormed out the door, with Hermione close behind him.

~

James looked up briefly, flashing his infamous grin, as he heard a snarling to his immediate left. If he hadn't turned to meet it, he wouldn't have had to tell inquisitors that he had broken his nose playing Quidditch.

A half-wolf, half-human roar burst from Remus's throat as he picked up his friend by the collar and ran him back into the wall. A bit of quick wand-less magic sealed James's ready fists to the wall. Remus centered his hold and removed his right hand. James squeezed his eyes shut as his friend raised his fist. Remus felt a tight ring encircle his arm and try to pull it back. He shook it off with a quick jerk, and he heard a small cry, but the blood pounding in his mind drowned out any rational thought. 

But it couldn't drown out pain.

Fierce stinging tore through his arm in at least seven different places both on bottom and on top. And then there were five more burns on his back. He turned to look into the face of a great, snarling, black dog. Its teeth were in his arm, and claws in his back. Slowly, with deep breaths, he released his hold on James and the spell on his hands. 

As James backed quickly away from Remus, the dog released Remus's arm and began to sniff Hermione. Remus realized with a shock that she was unconscious. Her head had banged against a table when he had shaken her off his arm.

Padfoot blurred into Sirius. "I can't believe it. You really _are _a monster." He scooped Hermione into his arms and carried her to the Prefects' Bathroom.

Remus couldn't have been more heartbroken.

~

Hermione's eyelids fluttered open as three tiny drops of water slipped through her barely open lips and onto her parched tongue. She saw Sirius smiling sadly soonest. (A/N: Alliteration is _fun_…) Dim lights flickered in and out of focus behind his head. She tried to sit up, and immediately had to go back down. A slight hiss of aching flashed through her teeth, and Sirius ('God damn him.') put his hands behind her head.

"Shhh…" he murmured soothingly. "Just rest. You were knocked out, you know."

"I know." She closed her eyes as a tear ran down her cheek. She turned to hide her face from him.

"Hey," Sirius protested, taking her nose between his first and middle finger and pulling it back to face him. She turned away, and he repeated the action. This time, she stayed. But she did not look in his eyes. "He didn't mean to hurt you."

"But he meant to hurt James. Do boys _ever_ forgive each other for being a friend?" Hermione asked with obvious disgust. She looked into his eyes with a fire burning in her blue ones. 

"Some boys do." He settled himself to lie down next to her.

"I suppose you include yourself." Hermione had seen too many movies not to know when a guy's ego was being romantically subtle.

Surprisingly, he shook his head. "Nope. I've never forgiven James for asking me when I had last taken a shower."

Hermione laughed softly. "Tell me about when all of you four met."

Sirius beamed, and Hermione realized how close the four really were.

"Well, first of all, I was in Diagon Alley, first year to Hogwarts, buying my books at Flourish and Blotts. James was up at the counter getting his stuff, and he had forgotten his Defense Against the Dark Arts… (Hermione had a quick vision of Remus; he was taller, older, and grayer, and standing by a large, nasty fishtank. He reached inside and pulled out…) Well, I was already by the bookshelf, and he came over. I had been eating Italian that afternoon with my Granmamma, who's from the 'Old Country', and I can never get enough of her garlic bread, so she had sent me off to Hogwarts with a basket of the stuff. James crinkled up his nose when he smelled the stuff and asked me if I had taken a shower recently. I told him, 'No, dingbat. That's my Granmamma's garlic bread. Look.' And I lifted the cover off the basket. You should have seen the look on his face! He ran smack into the opposite display! I sneered and asked him if he was a vampire. He shook his head no, and I kept pushing the basket at him. He kept backing away, knocking over displays of books as he went. Turns out he had to pay the manager later, but anyway. Finally, I had him in a corner. He started sneezing violently and collapsed on the floor. Turns out he's allergic to garlic."

Hermione laughed. Sirius grinned as she sat up, clutching her belly. 

Five minutes later, she was still laughing. "It wasn't _that_ funny, Hermione," he grumbled.

She wiped the tears off her cheeks. "I know… I know… I just needed… to… laugh, you know?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I know. That's what happened with Remus."

She immediately hushed.

Sirius flashed his well-worn grin. "That worked.

"Well, we were on the Hogwarts Express, and James and I had a compartment to ourselves. The train started up, we settled in, and started eating the candy we had bought off the trolley. About ten minutes in, James and I made a bet that the first woman we saw, we'd have to kiss without explanation. Just to prove who made a better impression. James had to go first. Just his luck, Lily and Remus came by to ask if they had seen a cat that had gotten loose. Remus looked as if he'd eaten fried Grindylow for a straight week, and we had a bet. I nudged James in the ribs and grinned. He blushed and asked Lily what the cat's name was. She said 'Crookshanks, why?' James pulled out his wand and said, '_Accid _(A/N: Not a spelling error! If Sirius repeated that spell, they would've been assaulted by a VERY pissed off cat! He realizes this and said 'Accid' instead.) _Crookshanks!_' She practically bubbled over with excitement when that damn kitten got dragged by its butt through the air! She just plucked the kitten out of the air, and hugged James. Perfect chance, lucky devil. He wrapped his arms around her and planted this _HUGE _French dead on her lips." Sirius laughed. "And then she kneed his balls. He told me he couldn't walk upright for _weeks_." Sirius laughed heartily, and Hermione just wondered at the sick humor of men. 

"Anyway, Remus helped James off the floor, laughing just as hard as I was, and followed Lily back to their compartment. He was still chuckling to himself when we all got off the train forty-five minutes later." Hermione grinned.

"What about Peter?" 

Sirius shrugged. "James knew Peter from something before, and we just kind of accepted him since he shared our dorm."

"Oh."

"Did James really write that letter?"

Sirius blushed, and Hermione became more interested than ever. "Well, actually, we both did. James had the idea, it wasn't me. I told him that it should be up to Remus, but he was so set on hooking you two up that he didn't listen. 

"James is good at forgery, and he uses Charms he invented to perfect it. But he's no good with words, so he got me to dictate. But it was all his idea." Sirius wrung his hands.

Hermione sighed. "Well, I hope James has learned not to mess in people's love lives-"

"Was there really something there?" asked Sirius hastily. 

Hermione blushed. "Before that letter, maybe. I dunno. I don't mind you knowing, but Remus might, so ask him." She set her jaw. "But you promise not to appoint yourself ambassador for someone else's heart again?"

"Promise."

They shook hands. 

"All right then." Hermione stood up and offered a hand to Sirius. "I'm ready to go back and face that wolf."

Sirius paled at the all-too-close description, but luckily Hermione didn't notice. He led her out from behind the statue of Boris the Bewildered and to the Gryffindor Entrance. 

On the way, they passed the portrait of Agatha Christie. The famous mystery writer winked and waved at Hermione, who returned the favor. 

"Do you know her?" Sirius questioned, apparently dazed by the new girl's action.

"A little."

He left it alone. '_Girls_.'

~

Sirius tactfully went up the staircase immediately after entering the Common Room. They needed to sort this out themselves.

Remus was sitting on the couch, crying with his head in his hands. Hermione walked up behind him and reached out to tap him on the shoulder. He caught her wrist before she could bother him. 

She walked around the couch, not breaking contact with his hand, and sat down beside him. She didn't say anything.

"I'm sorry," he choked.

Another silence with only his muffled sobs for company. 

"For what?" she quietly asked.

He looked up and into her eyes for the first time since "the fight."

"For hurting you, of course." He sounded shocked that she needed to ask.

"You're not sorry for hurting James?"

He realized his mistake.

"Well, yeah, naturally."

"You don't sound quite as sorry."

"But I am."

"Remus, at least _try_ to make it sound convincing." She pulled her hand from his and folded her arms.

"He started it."

"If you ever, _ever_ act that childish again, I will treat you like one. Now answer me as the mature adult I know you are. Are you sorry you hurt James?"

"I am sorry. It wasn't entirely his fault, and I know he was only trying to help me. I overreacted, and I used violence. I really _am_ a monster."

Hermione smiled, but not to the point where her eyes glistened and her teeth showed. "Whoever told you that was dead wrong, Remus Jade Lupin." He grinned at the use of his full name. "You are one of the sweetest, gentlest, kindest people I know. You're just a little lost."

Hermione rose on her knees and leaned over to his face. Her lips found his cheeks and gently kissed away the trails of tears. Remus smiled. Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her down on top of him and began kissing her neck with passion. Hermione sighed happily, and then replaced her neck with her mouth.

Hermione felt feather light when she pulled back and whispered, "Good-night, Remus," in his ear. 

He grinned as he whispered back, "Does this mean you forgive me?"

She paused for a moment. "I may have to punish you every now and again, but I forgive you. Just don't be so stupid again."

He nodded, and smiled to himself as she left for her dormitory.

This made two wonderful nights in a row. Maybe there was such a thing as luck…

~

"Now, can anyone tell me what the adding of 'en' does to female-to-animal transfiguration?"

Five hands shot into the air. Peter Pettigrew felt like he was in a cage.

Professor McGonagall felt shocked, but the only sign she allowed herself to show was the raising of her left eyebrow. Potter and Black were nothing unusual, Evans sometimes showed interest in Transfiguration, and Lupin wasn't all that out of the ordinary, but _Granger_! This was the first time a student had hopped into the middle of a lesson; middle of the year, no less; and been able to answer a particularly finicky question.

Now to see if she knew the correct answer.

"Miss Granger?"

Hermione beamed. "It would cause an adult female to become a male child."

Professor McGonagall was even more shocked, but she smiled this time. "Five points to Gryffindor for an outstanding answer. That was correct."

Lily grinned at her newfound friend.

~

"Hey, look at this one," whispered Ron from across the room. He was looking through a different photo album than Harry. "Divide and conquer," after all.

Harry rose from the chair and walked over to the couch where Ron was sitting. It was hard to miss, as what Ron was talking about was covering the entire page.

"What the hell?" exclaimed Harry.

"Precisely what I was thinking."

In each and every one of the eight moving photographs were Remus and Hermione, either holding hands and looking as if they knew something the camera didn't, kissing, or snuggling up against each other on a couch. Sometimes all of the above.

Harry was too busy being shocked to notice that his father was rubbing his nose gingerly in all of the five pictures he was in the background of.

Harry stalked over to the first book he had started. Picking up his quill, he scratched out, _"I need to talk to Moony."_

"Fine. Forget about your father. Forget about the greatest prank he ever pulled. Forget -"

"Now."

"Apparently we never teach you manners."

Harry was shocked. So they didn't know…

__

"Moony here, at your service."

"What are you doing to Hermione?" asked Harry.

__

"I thought that would've been obvious."

"No. I mean why are you doing that to Hermione?"

"Oh. Long story, really… How do you know Hermione?"

"Long story, really…"

"Not funny," snapped Remus.

__

"I'm glad we share sentiment!"

"Fine. I'll give the shorthand version. We met, your father and Padfoot faked a letter from me to Hermione, I tried to kiss her, we got in a fight, and she kissed me. Isn't life corny?"

"You kissed Hermione?"

"Duh."

"Hermione kissed you?"

"Gee, you think some people would be less shocked."

"Has she even mentioned Ron?"

"Who's Ron?"

"Her boyfriend_."_

There was a long pause.

__

"She has amnesia. She can't remember anything. I'm telling you right now: She's happy. Leave us alone. Sign out."

Harry sighed. 

"What'd he say?" asked Ron.

"She has - er, **had** amnesia. Who knows if she realizes she's in the wrong time?"

"Bloody Hell."

~

"Come on; I'll take you to go see Hagrid."

Hermione looked up as she tied her other shoe. "Who's Hagrid?"

James gaped at her from across the room. "That fall must've really wiped your slate clean! How can anyone forget Hagrid?"

Hermione shrugged. "Maybe I've just never met him before."

Sirius snorted. "Not likely."

Remus grabbed her by the elbow and said, "Come on, and you will meet him. Later," he called to his friends. "And stay out of trouble!" Lily laughed. "_Until _I get back."

James saluted, and Sirius looked shock that Remus would even think of them leaving him out of firsty-torture. The portrait swung firmly shut behind them.

Remus started singing to the tune of "Over the River, and Through the Woods."

"Down the staircase and over the grounds,

To Hagrid's Hut we go!

Fang is just right

To snuggle at night,

Though Hermione's better, I know.

****

OW!"

Remus put a hand to his forearm protectively. Hermione grinned. "Who taught you to punch? Muhammad Ali?" exclaimed Remus.

"No. Lily. Last night in the dorm. She said it comes in handy when dealing with horny or singing males."

Remus grinned. "You really are wonderful."

"Glad you think so," she replied, planting a soft kiss on his cheek in the process.

Remus paused before knocking on the humongous door. 

"One last thing." Hermione's ears perked up. "Don't eat the rock cakes." She nodded, a particularly humorous, grim expression set in her face.

After a quick rap, the door swung open, and Hermione was flattened to the ground. An enormous boarhound was licking nooks and crannies of Hermione's face that she didn't even know existed. 

"Down, Fang, down!" bellowed a voice from somewhere to the left of the sun and above the cloud that resembled a dragon playing a reed pipe. The enormous dog was yanked off Hermione by a hand near the size of her thigh. A huge, scraggly black beard with beetle-black eyes twinkling just above a cantaloupe nose were the only distinguishable features of his face. 

He seized her porcelain hand in both of his mammoth ones and shook with what might have measured a nine-point-two on a Richter scale as he helped her stand back up. "Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts. Glad ter meet yeh."

"Glad to meet you too," Hermione mumbled, slightly dazed at the notion that this overzealous giant of a man was in charge of keeping keys and not sitting on them.

Remus grinned. "Hagrid, this is Hermione Granger. The new sixth-year."

"Was wonderin' when yer'd bring 'er down ter meet me. Wot took yer so long?"

"We had to make her promise she wouldn't zap all of us to pieces if we let her out of her cage."

"CAGE!" Hagrid roared. "YER KEPT THIS POOR GIRL LOCKED UP IN A _CAGE_?!"

Hermione doubted she would be able to hear a normal sound again.

The near stranger picked Hermione up as if she were no more than a twig, but still more delicate than a Ming vase, and carried her off into his wooden hut. He handed her a sopping washrag, and she began to scrub all the sticky drool off her face.

"We really didn't put her in a cage, Hagrid. If we had, she would've been forced to meet Snape." Even Hagrid, with his apparent love for freedom, chuckled.

It turned out that Hermione found herself being very fond of the "BFG," or, "Big Friendly Giant." Though a little thick, he was very sensitive, very spirited (in more ways than one, actually), and very, _very_ determined that no living creature was born evil.

'Go tell that to a basilisk,' thought Hermione sulkily.

But the sun was setting, and as much as Hermione would've liked to find out what a "pie burning" for Hippogriffs was, Remus insisted that they weren't interested and left with all possible speed and courtesy.

"So what did you think?" asked Remus as he opened the door for her.

"I thought he was one of the greatest people I've ever met," said Hermione firmly. "I want to see him again."

"Good." Remus gripped her hand even more firmly in his own. "Cause if you plan on hanging with me, you'll see him _loads_."

~

"Sirius?" Hermione whispered as quietly as she could. Their Potions professor wasn't very found of talking during class.

"Hmm?"

She tapped him quickly on the shoulder and pointed across the room to the boy unfortunate enough to be paired with Peter. His hair was black, long, and greasy and his lip was curled in a sneer of disgust.

Sirius growled underneath his breath. "That, Hermione Granger, is what makes Dementors look snuggly, centaurs look outspoken, Rita Skeeter look truthful, and Nazis look absolutely compassionate. He's smart, no doubt about that, but he keeps to himself every moment. And even if you _do_ get him to talk, it's either an insult or a downright lie. And his looks don't help either."

Despite the lecture on what Sirius sometimes referred to as "The Human Leech," Hermione was quite interested in the sixteen-year-old Slytherin who kept sending her furtive glances from across the room.

~

"Where are the boys?" Hermione asked Lily. "I was looking for Remus in particular, but I can't find any of them."

Lily's eyes flitted to the window, filled by the weight of the full moon, and grinned nervously at Hermione.

"I'm sure they're fine, wherever they are. They're always out doing something."

"Yeah, but Lily, not for three hours. James kisses you at least once every two waking hours."

Lily laughed. "You actually apply math to flirting? You are weird!"

"No, _this_ is weird." She wove a hand at the empty common room. "Not a sound in the entire wing! Even I realize how rare that is!"

"Just enjoy it while it lasts, Hermione. Just enjoy it while it lasts. Besides, Remus told me his Aunt Molly was sick, or something like that. The boys probably went with him to Hogsmeade to see him off."

Hermione opened her mouth to protest, but Lily held up her hand. "Unless you're about to give me all the answers to the astronomy test, I don't want to hear another word."

Hermione slumped off to her bedroom. 'Maybe Lily's cat is willing to talk.'

As it turned out, he was dead asleep.

What fun. 

~

__

'I shouldn't be here! I should be out there with her!' Lupin lunged at the nearest piece of furniture and soon chunks of wood were flying everywhere.

__

'She's safe where she is, Remus. Come on; let's go into the Forbidden Forest again. That always cheers you up!' Padfoot tried desperately.

__

'That sounds fun!' Prongs joined in.

Lupin roared. _'I don't want fun!' _he screamed in their minds. _'I want to be human! I want to be NORMAL!'_

Padfoot, Wormtail, and Prongs exchanged worried looks.

__

'Well,' Wormtail squeaked, _'not everyone gets what they want…'_

'IS IT SO BAD TO ASK FOR WHAT ALL MY FRIENDS HAVE?!' Moments later, his deadly paws were tearing across the walls.

__

'COULD YOU JUST SHUT-UP AND BE THANKFUL FOR WHAT YOU HAVE?!' Padfoot thundered.

Lupin stopped destroying things to look at him. His eyes glowed red, and a rope of drool hung from his jaws. But he was still, and that was all that mattered for now.

Padfoot breathed deeply as he spoke into their minds. _'You have friends that care about you, despite what you're too stupid to see past; you have a girlfriend who loves you; your family isn't pressuring you to become the world's greatest Auror, or some other such bullshit; you're friends with everyone in Hogwarts except the bloody Slytherins! It's not having what you want! It's wanting what you've got!'_

Lupin grinned, revealing . _'Wanna go see if any girls left their dorm window open?'_

'Sure.' It was if Padfoot had never growled at Lupin. The two set off down the tunnel, tails high in the air, tongues lolling lazily out of their mouths.

Prongs grinned at Wormtail. _'No wonder Sirius hasn't got a girlfriend,'_ he told the rat. It nodded its tiny head in agreement.

A/N: Done at last! Yay!

So, most of you got what you wanted. I involved Harry & Ron, Hermione being sorry about hurting "poor Remus," introduction to Snape, a little tiny bit of Sirius action, and Hermione being another know-it-all in class. Did that cover it? I hope so.

Sadly enough, no one answered the challenge I put up about finding the reference to Charles Dickens. I'll have to remember to put challenges at the bottom of the chapter from now on. The answer was Oliver Wood's family. The reference was all of the names mentioned in his paragraph were characters in Oliver Twist. 

Oliver (The cutest accent! How can you _not_ love it?) is obvious.

His mother's name was Nancy - Bill Sikes's girlfriend. 

His father's name was Charley - or - one of the boys in Fagin's gang. He turned out to be good in the end.

Nancy's Slytherin boyfriend's name is Bill. Don't worry - obviously, _my _Nancy isn't beaten to death.

Don't forget to R&R! And give your e-mail if you haven't already and want e-mail updates!


	8. Poetry & October Hares

Disclaimer: I am not associated legally with Bloomsbury; Scholastic, Inc.; or J.K. Rowling. So don't sue me.

The whole tuna suggestion is from "Sixteen Years After Catastrophe" by Jan McNeville.

The costumes mentioned are derived from _Alice in Wonderland_ by Lewis Carroll.

A/N: With much ado about nothing, I give you Chapter Seven!

Time Is A Pretzel

Chapter Seven:

Memories

"Two of us wearing raincoats,

Standing solo in the sun.

You and me chasing paper,

Getting nowhere,

On our way back home. –"

Two of Us

"Remus!" Hermione screeched happily. He had just entered the common room, limping. The wary pink in his eyes indicated just how tired he was. He held up a hand and she stopped in her tracks, arms still outstretched in a hug. Peter laughed as she toppled to the ground. After all, balance is hard to keep if it relies on the poise of one foot…

"Hermione, I missed you, truly, but I'm _so_ tired…"

Raising herself off the floor, she nodded, confused, and merely replied, "Where were you last night? I looked all over for you, even out on the grounds, but I couldn't find you." (A/N: Does that explain the limp for you? Think about it…)

Lily was signing something frantically at him across the room. He read them out of the corner of his eye, as he chewed on his lip. _'Thank God I taught Lils to sign…'_

"I was visiting my Aunt Molly."

"Is she sick? I do hope it's nothing serious…"

Lily nodded her head.

"Yeah, she's sick. The flu." 

Lily sighed and collapsed back down on the couch. James grinned, and crawled on top of her. "Tickle-Fest!" he cried, and an explosion of giggles burst from the couch. 

"No! No! Stop it!" she screamed, only to follow by more laughter.

Hermione grinned at Remus, and raced towards the fire. Sirius was crouching towards Lily and James, intentions clear, but Hermione tackled him to the ground. Panic ensued.

"You fiend!" cried Sirius in between fits of laughter. With her legs straddling his chest, she leaned forward and began to tickle him mercilessly. "Lily, help me!" he howled.

Lily was busy trying to help herself and couldn't answer.

Unusually enough, Sirius began to hiccup bubbles. Hermione paused and looked carefully at them, as if they were bombs in disguise. This gave Sirius his chance. He flipped over to have Hermione beneath him, and his fingers attacked her ribs. 

Lips sealed shut, she gazed up at him like he had sprouted purple spotted tentacles out of his head. He stopped. "Are you not ticklish?"

Hermione shrugged. "I guess not."

James and Lily stopped to stare at her. Lily hexed James for tickling her, and he grumpily went back to his chair. Peter had stopped taking pictures and was trying to refrain from staring at Hermione.

"Are you okay?" Lily asked tenderly.

Sirius stood up and helped Hermione to stand with him. She walked over to the couch to sit with Lily, and Remus took the other seat beside her. Sirius joined Peter on the floor.

Hermione was confused by all the sympathetic looks she was getting. Hadn't these people ever met someone who wasn't ticklish? And was it a sin or something not to be?

Laughter began to build up in her throat, and she didn't try to hold it back.

"What's so funny?" Remus took her hand in his.

"Nothing," she choked out, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Just… you… you guys…"

Sirius rolled his eyes and went up to his dorm. "I'll be sketching, if anybody wants me," he called just before he shut the door.

Seeing the puzzled look on Hermione's face, Peter tried to explain. "Sirius likes to draw. He'll sketch, sometimes paint, and he does _great_… oh, what are those things that are supposed to make fun of people?"

"Caricatures?"

"Yeah, characters. Anyway, he does those too. He's talking about becoming a cartoonist for the _Daily Prophet._"

"Well, what do you know…" Hermione whispered so softly that only Remus heard.

Silence. James hated silence. So he asked Hermione, "Hey, what was Potion's homework again?"

The change of face was so absurd that Peter wondered what could possibly spark something that drastic. 

She pulled her wristwatch (that had been changed to show the correct time and date - Friday, October 26, 1973.) underneath her nose. 7:28 p.m.

She leapt over the back of the chair and tore towards the painting. Turning around, she panted, "Sorry. Got to go. You understand…"

It slammed firmly shut behind her.

"So. That was nice." James joined Lily back on the couch. His hand curled. "Don't even think about it, Shnookums."

James frowned and lowered his hand to rest on top of hers.

~

The time was 7:32 p.m. He was standing up and gathering his books back into the black leather bag.

"Wait!" Hermione gasped. "Sorry I'm late. They wouldn't let me leave."

He raised an eyebrow. "I thought you would not allow them to control you so easily."

Hermione was beginning to see Sirius's point. "I thought _you _were the one who wanted this meeting, Severus."

He nodded. "I wanted to warn you."

"About what?"

"Your… 'friends'."

"There's nothing wrong with them."

"Are you so sure? Lupin disappeared last night. _Again_."

"What do you mean? He said his Aunt Molly was sick."

"Ask him a week from now. See if he doesn't hesitate, or give a wrong answer. And he doesn't _have_ an Aunt Molly."

Hermione sat down. "Why did you know about his family?"

"He's given too many excuses about his relatives being ill."

"You _do_ makecentaurs look outspoken."

Amazingly enough, the Slytherin laughed. "Who told you that?"

"Sirius Black."

His grin quickly flew back to a frown. "You should be warned about that one too. He considers rules to be beneath him, and struts around the castle as if he owns it. He also happens to think every woman wants to sleep with him."

Hermione felt her face redden, but Snape chose to ignore it. "He does not." 

"I don't care to further explain him. However, I beg you not to get too comfortable."

"I suppose I would be more comfortable in the Serpent's Hollow rather than the Lion's Den." Anger flared inside her stomach.

Snape's complexion became miraculously paler, if there was such a color.

"I didn't imply that. Actually… you're probably… safer… Yes, you should be in Gryffindor. It's… safe there. Yes…"

"Do you want me to be safe?"

Color returned to Snape's cheeks but the rest of his face remained stark white. "As ignorant as most Gryffindors are, some of them _are_ bearable."

"Could you spare some of their names?"

"A Gryffindor may have courage, but a Slytherin has an ego. An ego he is willing to strike the Lion for."

"I would never have suspected you for a poet. Do you read Poe? Yeats? Tennyson?"

"I don't read poetry half as much as I write it. But I have glanced over whom you've mentioned. 

"I do not really revere Poe the way others do, but I will admit, he had his moments. " The Raven" was a wonder, but was he was no good at expressing pride and love. They seemed forced and unconvincing." Hermione nodded her agreement.

And their conversation plunged into literature, both Muggle and Wizarding. They believed the truly successful wizards had written their works so Muggles could read them without arousing suspicion, but still be able to interest the Wizards. Severus and Hermione agreed it took particular skill and some form of genius.

Hermione was leaning with Severus over a copy of poetry he had collected over the years. He had refused to allow her to glimpse his own. "Later," he had promised her.

A soft knock came rapping at the classroom door.

Hermione looked up as Severus snapped the book shut. "Come in," she called sweetly.

Headmaster Dumbledore poked his head through the doorway. "As much as I am pleased to know a Slytherin and Gryffindor have been in the same room for several hours amiably discussing literature, it _is_ after curfew (Hermione gasped), and I wouldn't wish for you both to land yourselves in trouble because of Mr. William Carlson Williams." He pulled two slips of paper from his purple robe and handed one to each of them. "If you happen to encounter anyone of authority in the halls, these should be able to help you."

"Thank you, sir," they both murmured.

"You're quite welcome." He made to shut the door, but seemed to think better of it. "Oh, and my I remark that both Mrs. Norris and Professor McGonagall are especially fond of tuna."

Snape grinned at Hermione as the door clicked shut.

Hermione blushed, clutching the slip of paper in her hand, and opened to door to leave.

"Granger!" Hermione turned around. "Er… Hermione. Would you like to meet here again next Saturday?"

She grinned. "I'd love to."

Severus smiled for the first time in weeks and began to pack his books back into his bag, whistling as quietly as he could.

~

"Where'd you go last night, 'Mione?" Remus asked. 

Hermione blushed and made a face when she realized she had used raspberry jam instead of strawberry. "Dumbledore needed to see me."

"Oh."

Sirius kicked her foot. Hermione looked up from her ham to glare at him. "What?" she hissed.

"Oops. Wrong person." She rolled her eyes and returned to her breakfast.

A few minutes later, Remus took both of Hermione's hands in his and kissed her on the cheek. Hermione became even redder and turned to look at him. 

"Hermione, darling, it's Saturday."

"Thank the Lord!"

Remus grinned and continued. "I know you've only been here a week, but I'm already _very_ fond of you. Halloween is Wednesday, and three weeks ago, Dumbledore announced a ball for sixth and seventh years. I wasn't planning on going with anyone, but then you came along, and I feel as if I could fly without a broomstick and just hold on to my heart." 

Hermione smiled. "Yes, Remus. I'll go with you."

"Great! I asked Lily what size dress you wear – I hope you don't mind - and I borrowed one of my mother's dresses. We're supposed to be dressed up. I thought we could go as -"

"Remus, shut-up and tell me later."

Peter laughed, and Remus kicked him from under the table.

"One more thing. _Remus _plays footsy with _me._ Nothing else is valid."

All five of her friends saluted and failed to keep a straight face.

~

Soft golden fabric cascaded out of the bag in lush folds. Hermione gasped. "Oh, Remus, it's lovely…" He pulled her closer to his side as she cautiously fingered the dress.

Simple, yet dashingly elegant, it was perhaps the most stunning dress Hermione could ever remember seeing, which wasn't saying much, but she was certain Lily would have said the same thing. The first layer of fabric was a honey-colored silk. Lightly laid on top was a netlike cloth with tiny glass stars woven into the almost transparent, golden mesh. It was just her size, with the skirts the length that they would barely brush the floor, and not so tight that she was refrained from any type of movement, but tight enough to be alluring. The sleeves clung gently to her arms, but at the wrists, all bounds were let loose. The sparkling cloth dripped well past her fingertips, but Hermione thought it was an astounding effect. It was a modest dress, with both a high neck and back.

"It's said that Maid Marian wore a dress exactly like this when she married Robin Hood," Remus whispered in her ear.

"And your mother trusts me with this?"

"No. She trusts _me_ with it, and I, in turn, trust you."

"It's gorgeous."

"Not half as gorgeous as you are."

"Thank you for trusting me." Hermione was still staring at the dress.

"I would trust you with my deepest secret."

"Which would be...?"

"Not yet. This dress is enough for now."

"Okay." She draped the dress over her bed in order to bestow her full attention on Remus.

~

Lily looked up at James as he triumphantly captured her last knight.

"James, what are _we_ going to the ball as?"

He shrugged. Lily folded her arms and glared. 

"If you don't say something, I'll make up my mind to go as Little Bo Peep with you as my sheep."

"_Baaaaa._"

"Don't you ever say anything useful?"

"No," supplied Peter who was working on his Herbology homework.

"Thanks a lot."

James looked up. "I have a suggestion."

"Let's hear it!"

"How about Gertie Keddle and Goodwin Kneen?"

Lily was interested, but puzzled. "Who are they?"

James gasped in mock surprise. "Why, the first man and woman associated with Quidditch!"

Five seconds later, James was searching frantically for his left ear. "I'll take that as a no?" he asked as he crawled under the couch.

Another five seconds later, he was also missing his two front teeth.

"I'd rather go as The Mad Hatter and The March Hare."

She was to regret that particular remark.

~

"YOU BOUGHT _WHAT_?!"

James ducked as particularly dangerous red sparks whizzed overhead.

"You said you'd rather go as -"

"I WAS KIDDING!"

"Oh. Should I take them -"

Lily grabbed her hair with both hands and began to breathe heavily. _"If you **ever** **dare** to buy a costume without my consultation, You. Will. Be. Sorry."_

Lily slumped onto the couch and sighed. "Who's going as who?"

James pulled two costumes out of the bag that made Lily screech. He quickly stuffed them back. As if _that _would stall the wrath of a red-head…

As James's eyes widened in shock, he decided he'd have to find out where Lily was learning all of her spectacular curses. His skin was purple, orange, and red plaid.

"And just what made you believe I would go to the Halloween Ball dressed as a Playboy Bunny?" Lily asked calmly as she pulled out her copy of the _Daily Prophet._

"I don't know, and I am extremely, very sorry." His fingernails were sunshine yellow…

With a puff of smoke, his black hair was fluttering around the room like fairy dust. Now he was bald…

"Now, listen and listen good. I want you to beg Professor Dumbledore to allow you back to Hogsmeade. I want a _decent_ outfit… Wait! What am I doing? I'll go buy it myself!" She stalked over to where the bag was resting. Taking out the alleged "March Hare" outfit and the receipt, she stalked out of the Common Room.

Sirius clapped loudly from the corner. What made James sneer was the bag of popcorn he was eating. He stood up, walked over to his plaid-skinned friend, and pressed two Sickles in his palm. 

"Dude, that was better than the time she shrunk you down to the size of a peanut and threatened to feed you to Crookshanks if you didn't tell her who Mary Bloodroot was!"

James chucked the silver coins at his head as Sirius walked away, laughing enormously.

~

Later that night, as the four boys were getting ready to finally sleep (perhaps the greatest step towards peace at Hogwarts in five years.), James suddenly turned around to stare at Sirius.

"Hey, Padfoot. I was just thinking, who are _you_ going to the Hall Ball with?" A smirk of triumph played across his lips.

Sirius pretended not to hear and crawled underneath the covers (complete with the tartan print). "G'night."

"Oh my God! You don't have a date!" James shouted.

Sirius rolled over on his side.

Peter shook his head, got out his box of earplugs, and handed it to Remus. He gladly took a pair, and crawled into his own bed.

James leaned over to look his best friend in the eye. "Do you really not have a date?"

Sirius just stared ahead like there was nothing there.

"You don't have a date!"

"I never said that," whispered Sirius. If James hadn't been so cocky at that moment, he might have heard the undertone of fury.

"But you didn't say anything. And if you did have one, you would've spoken up! So you don't have a date!"

James started poking Sirius in the shoulder. Sirius grumbled something that resembled, "Stop it, Prongs," but he ignored it.

And in a flash, a dog crouched on all fours was were Sirius had been a moment before. He was growling softly, hackles raised, and James's wrist between his powerful jaws.

James slowly backed away, and his hand was released. He went to bed without saying another word.

But Sirius silently thought to himself, _'Who am I going to the ball with?'_

~

"Sirius, wait!"

He turned around to see Hermione running towards him. He stopped walking.

Out of breath, she panted out, "Need… your… advice… on something…"

He just shrugged and said, "I'll let you catch your breath, and we can keep walking to Herbology." She nodded in agreement.

As her breath returned to normal, she began to explain. "I just came from Professor Dumbledore's office, and he told me I needed to pick what extra classes I wanted to do." Sirius nodded. 

"Well, I was thinking about Arithmancy, Care of Magical Creatures, and either Astronomy, Muggle Studies, or Divination. I just wanted to ask you what you think about those three subjects. I've made up my mind about Care of Magical Creatures and Arithmancy. Everyone says they're fantastic classes, and I'm interested anyway, so I was just wondering what _you_ think about the other three, 'cause I'm getting mixed opinions."

Sirius was fairly shocked. Why did she value his opinion so much?

Apparently he'd paused too long. "Sirius? You there?"

He shook his head and realized, ashamedly, that he'd been staring at her. "Sorry. I was just thinking. I know Peter takes Divination, and he's passing with flying colors. Says it's the easiest thing he's ever done, and it's so easy to bluff Professor Trelawney. I don't think you'd enjoy it. It's not much of a challenge, I suppose, and from what I've heard, it's a stupid class. 

"James takes Muggle Studies, since Lily laughed at him in second year for not knowing what a telephone was. Remus takes it as well. When they talk about it, they say it's very basic, and it involves a lot of drawing and explaining. It sounds to me like you're at least a half-blood, so I don't suppose it'd make much of a difference for you. 

"Lily and I take Astronomy, and I know I have a blast. I've always had a fascination with stars, and sometimes Professor Sinistra gets a centaur to come in and point out things she's been missing. It's very hard to get them to say _anything_, but it's neat anyway. And she doesn't only do Astronomy, but Astrology next year, like_ real_ Astrology, not that stupid stuff Peter goes on about, and that's supposed to be our main focus next year. If I were you, I'd pick Astronomy. But that's just me."

Hermione chewed on her lip. "Thanks. I needed another opinion."

Sirius opened the greenhouse door for her, and she glided through and took her usual seat between Lily and Peter.

Professor Sprout cleared her throat and began the lesson on man-eating Marstraps.

~

Tuesday night arrived, and the castle buzzed with anticipation of tomorrow. 

"So, Sirius, what have you decided to do for a date?" Lily asked politely.

He shrugged. "Guys never really want to dance as much as girls, so I thought I'd just pick up when they leave off. I'll have loads of dates."

James grinned. "Well, I'll be sure never to set Lily down for an instant if she still wants to dance."

Sirius shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe a few dates will turn out happier."

(A/N: Yes, I know this section's boring. I couldn't think of anything to bring it to life.)

~

The lake was shimmering and black ripples spread across the water as the giant squid flicked the surface with his tentacles. The stars twinkled overhead with a crescent moon floating among them. And on a swinging bench hidden from view of the castle, sat Remus Lupin and Hermione Granger, hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder. 

"Hermione?" Remus whispered, and she turned from staring at the soft waves of blue-black water to stare into his soft brown eyes.

"Hmm?"

"I just wanted to tell you something…"

"Yes?" she asked, fully aware of the hint of longing detectable in her voice.

He paused. "I think I love you."

Hermione smiled. "I think I love you too."

And from the bushes, someone frowned as they shared the tenderest of kisses.

A/N: Mika, did ya like the Mad Hatter thing? I hoped you would!

Thanks to - 

****

Harue-Chan - did you really think that Chapter Six was the best yet? Thanks! I loved writing it!

****

dragonqueen*aratthond - thanks so much! I love the support you give!

****

VenusDeMilo - for giving me very interesting things to read when I was bored!

****

And the rest of you - your name escapes for the moment, but I appreciate you GREATLY just the same!

Please Review! Luv y'all!


	9. Ghostly Years

Disclaimer: Could I own Harry Potter any less? In case you're a little _thick_, the answer is NO.

A/N: As most of you know, we weren't able to upload anything for two weeks, so that was an excuse not to work quite so hard on this chapter. Hopefully, it is as good as the others, so don't worry about that. 

I planned to make the ball scene longer, I swear! However, I was blasted with several fic ideas, and I needed to wrap this up quickly before I abandoned it completely. Don't hurt me! Go and review the other story I've posted (unless you hate Snapefic.)!

And now on with the show…

Time Is A Pretzel

Chapter Eight:

One More Time

"Life is very short

And there's no time 

For fussing and fighting, my friends.

I have always thought

That's it's a crime… -"

We Can Work It Out

Hermione went to bed that night, again wracking her mind for any possible memory. The only thing she assumed could be a memory was Remus reaching into a very grimy fish-tank, but that Remus was older, worn out. There was no way that could have been her past. If possible, that was the future.

So she let her mind drift to more pleasant things. Things she knew about.

Remus came first. Tomorrow was Halloween, and Hermione couldn't imagine ever having a happier one. She was going in what might be the most beautiful dress at Hogwarts with the nicest, most adorable, possibly most passionate Gryffindor alive.

Although Lily _did_ seem to enjoy late nights out with James…

Hermione fought to suppress a giggle. Somehow, she couldn't quite see her bubbly, clumsy roommate snogging the graceful, witty boy she had grown to be good friends with (especially after Remus had broken his nose in five places). But then again, Sirius couldn't seem to be able to picture her and Remus snogging either. Oh well. To each his own…

She felt a stab of pity for Sirius. He obviously seemed to be the usual center of female attention, and now he couldn't even get a date to the Ball. However, there was little she could do about it, so she might as well not worry.

With that closing statement, she dismissed all further thoughts of him from her mind. 

Little did she know that he was unwilling to do the same.

~

Sirius buried his head underneath the pillows. He had to stop this… She wasn't his girlfriend!

__

'Come on, old boy! Pull yourself together! You can't have her, and that's that. Leave them alone. You know they're happy…'

His heart squeezed. _They_ were happy. So happy, it seemed that they were destined to last forever. Then she could never be his…

There exists inside every human being, a good conscience, and a bad conscience. It so happens that in Sirius Black, there was a great deal more bad than good. Now, that may have had something to do with being the outcome of his father being from an old Scottish line, and his mother had direct connections with the Italian Mafia. So he had grown up a little pampered… Well, actually, a LOT pampered, and that may have affected his amount of courage, (or perhaps it was over-confidence?), but it didn't truly matter, did it? He still had a little bit of good in him…

At this moment however, the bad was scheming away.

__

'He's a werewolf, and he's scared he'll hurt her. He'll get over her eventually; he'll convince himself that he's too dangerous for her to get close to. Then he'll dump her. Then she'll need comforting from a close friend who understands… That will be my chance. I just might have to rush things a little, but -'

'No.' whispered the tiny cricket-voice in his chest. _'Remus doesn't get happiness often. Let him enjoy it for as long as he can.'_

The tension in Sirius's neck and back loosened, and as he sighed, he began to count sheep. Oddly enough, all of them looked like Severus Snape, and as each one hopped through a Quidditch goal post, it was promptly torn into a bloody rag by a large dog. He grinned. If this was how he'd fall asleep, maybe insomnia could be fun…

~

As the six Gryffindors made their entrance into the Great Hall for breakfast, Hermione stopped and pointed, her mouth wide in both shock and admiration.

Enormous bats swooped across the ceiling, and four giant jack-o-lanterns stood in the corners of the room. All twenty-six of the Hogwarts ghosts were cackling from the beams in the ceiling. Hermione couldn't have been more impressed. This was awesome! No doubt it would be even better tonight, with the lights dimmed, music, and House tables gone.

They took their usual spaces at the Gryffindor table, and Lily and Hermione engaged in a conversation about what to do with themselves before the Ball. Lily seemed to have spectacular ideas for makeup and what to do with Hermione's hair, now that it had returned to its original frizz.

Hermione's fingers laced through Remus's, and she leaned against his shoulder. He buried his face in her soft, coffee-scented hair. He frowned as he thought over what he was planning for tonight. He had made up his mind last night. Now would not be the time to back out…

But he couldn't help but think about changing his mind as she pitched a jelly-laden biscuit at Sirius's face. Strawberries dripped from his hair as he returned the missile with black raspberry.

~

"Oh, Hermione! You look lovely!" squealed Lily.

Hermione blushed, and murmured, "Thanks to you, Lily. I wouldn't look half this good if it weren't for you."

Lily shrugged and added the finishing touches to her own face. "You're naturally beautiful, 'Mione. I just know what to do to bring it out even more."

Hermione hugged her friend around the middle, careful not to wrinkle her friend's costume in places other than deemed necessary.

Blush in one hand, Lily turned to look at her. "Hermione? Can I get you to do me a favor?"

"Sure, what?"

"You know how… difficult Transfiguration is for me. Could you transform my ears into brown rabbit ones?"

Pulling out her wand, she nodded. "Any specifics?"

"Well, worn out, with the left slightly bent, and the right one missing a piece at the tip."

"Two rodent appendages coming right up!"

After Lily had fussed about the height long enough, she begged for a pair of crooked whiskers, buckteeth, and a small pink nose.

Hermione obliged, grateful that she could help her red-headed friend.

Lily pulled on her pair of rabbit-fur gloves, and, linking arms, they walked down the stairs, trying desperately to keep a straight face at the image of an over-sized hare escorting a queenly woman into the Gryffindor Common Room.

~

A frustrated sigh found its way outside of the hat that hung around James's neck. Pulling it up from around his head, he began fanning himself.

"How long does it take to get some make-up on?" snarled Sirius.

"Hey, Sirius? Just shut-up, will you? You're not the one with a sword poking your butt every five minutes." With a violent gesture, Remus drew his sword and pointed the tip at Peter's throat. "You never told us who your date was, Peter. Who's the unfortunate toilet-haunter?"

Peter drew himself up and glared at Remus, perhaps showing the only amount of courage his chubby body possessed. "For your information, _Moony_, I happen to be going with Bertha Jorkins."

Sirius snorted, and James stuffed the hat back over his head, hoping in vain the thick fabric would muffle his sniggering. Remus merely sheathed his sword, fully well aware that his friends would torment Peter enough on their own.

A small cough caught his attention, and Sirius rocketed out of his chair. Remus followed suit, and James awkwardly stood, fighting desperately to keep the bright green corduroy brim out of his eyes. Lily smiled and hugged him as she lightly brushed his lips with hers. 

Hermione hid quietly in the corner. Remus, too stunned to move, was cemented into place by how shockingly _gorgeous_ she was. Always the charismatic, Sirius walked over to her and offered her his arm. Blushing enormously, even in the shadows, she took it and walked into the firelight.

Forgetting all the so-called rules of public relationships, Remus rushed forward, looped his arms around her waist, and passionately kissed her. Sirius reluctantly let go of Hermione's arm and strolled towards the fireplace to stare at a portrait of Godric Gryffindor and his youngest daughter Harmony.

Perhaps it was the sheen on her lips. Perhaps it was that her mouth tasted so sweet. Perhaps it was that Remus felt determined never to be able to forget her for an instant, but whatever the reason, he couldn't seem to stop kissing her. She placed her hand on his chest and applied a light pressure, but Remus didn't want to stop. _'Dig, taste, love -'_

"Ahem!" Peter squeaked from behind him. Remus came back down to earth from the cloud he felt he had been floating on, blushing furiously.

Hermione separated his hands from her waist and laced their fingers together instead. She grinned.

"Shall we?" James asked, holding the portrait door open and bowing. Lily had her paw resting in his elbow and was smiling contentedly.

Remus led Hermione out into the hallway, Peter followed them, and Sirius came out last. Peter waved and walked away, and Sirius whispered in James's ear, "Do you think we should tell him he's going in the wrong direction? The Hufflepuffs aren't in the dungeons."

James shrugged, and Lily snorted into her paw. "He'll figure it out," she said with a slight lisp. Buckteeth can be very annoying.

They proceeded to the Great Hall. James and Lily were in the lead, arm in arm, and grinning at each other. Remus and Hermione were second, his arm around her waist and her hand placed on top of his. Sirius shuffled last in line with his head hung.

~

"I'm tired of dancing. Let's go out to that spot by the lake." Hermione took his hand and pulled him towards the door. Remus flashed a grin at Sirius, James, and Lily, who were merrily singing "A Very Merry Unbirthday!" at the top of their drunken lungs. They waved and continued a rendition of "Twinkle, twinkle, little bat!"

"Finally! Alone at last," Hermione sighed, collapsing onto the bench. Remus cautiously perched beside her. She leaned over and kissed his cheek repeatedly, tracing his jaw with her lips. To Remus's disappointment, she started on the bit of his neck that a ruffled collar didn't hide.

"Stop. Please."

She did. He turned to face her and grasped her hands like they were a life preserver in the middle of the ocean. "Hermione, I told you I would trust you with my most important secret." He cast a silencing charm around them. She understood and didn't bother to ask. "And I thought that now would be a good time to tell you, if you're planning on going anywhere with _us_."

She nodded but still kept quiet.

"Hermione, I wasn't at an Aunt Molly's last weekend."

"I didn't believe you."

"You didn't?"

"You don't even _have_ an Aunt Molly."

"Yeah. Anyway, I was out on the grounds."

"But I was out there looking for you! You weren't there!"

"You didn't see me because you were looking for the wrong thing."

"What should I have been looking for then?"

"A wolf."

"You're an Animagus!" she squealed.

"No, Hermione. I'm not. James, Peter, and Sirius are the Animaji."

"So… you're a - oh no!" She wrenched a hand from his and clamped it to her mouth.

'_So she doesn't really love me. I'm not surprised. After all, who could love a monstrous beast?_' 

He released her hand and reluctantly stood up. "I understand. I promise I won't talk to you in the halls…"

"Oh, Remus!" she cried and stood up to face him. Remus was shocked to find she had thrown her arms around his neck and was sobbing into his shoulder. "I'm so sorry!" howled Hermione, the sounds muffled by his costume. He hesitated and patted her shoulder as gently as he could. 

"Where were you bitten?" she whispered after a few minutes.

He paused. Even James hadn't been allowed to see… but James wasn't Hermione. _'I love her,'_ he thought to himself. _'I need to trust her if I want this relationship to work.'_

With that thought coursing through his mind and heart, he began rolling up his left sleeve. Near his muscled shoulder was a large gash, as pink as brand new scar. Hermione instantly felt sympathetic. She reached out a finger and touched it. It was cold, and she pulled back when Remus yelped in pain. "Sorry," she whispered.

"It's okay. It still feels like venom, even if I've had it for eight years."

He covered it back up and removed the silencing charm. "Let's go back? I wouldn't miss Lily hexing James on account of snogging her for the world!"

Hermione smiled and walked with him.

Severus Snape followed behind them. _'What were they talking about?'_ he thought as he stalked back to the Great Hall, cape fluttering out behind him (A/N: I don't know why, but I always picture him as the Phantom of the Opera…).

~

****

Several weeks later…

"Where's Remus, Hermione?" Snape nagged her again. She had asked to go to breakfast alone. Remus was under the Whomping Willow tearing apart the Shrieking Shack. Snape had decided to accompany her.

"I already told you! I can't say!" she snapped as she shoved through the doors. He followed her, oblivious to the fact she was leading him towards his worst enemies.

He noticed too late for retreat. "Will you leave her alone, you ugly git?" Black hissed from between his teeth. "Try bothering someone who's not afraid to punch you."

"Let's take this outside," Snape growled. "No need to show that you may wear red on the outside, but on the inside, you're as yellow as a Hufflepuff."

The ultimate insult. Sirius bolted out of his seat, stepped onto and over the table, and put his nose so close to Snape's Hermione couldn't help but wonder how they had room to breathe. "Let's do take this outside. No need to give proof that you have no heart."

Lily and Peter merely shook their heads and continued eating. James stared after them with a worried look on his face. Hermione felt like he looked.

"I only hope he doesn't tell him about…" James whispered. Sirius had been itching to tell Severus for the last few days and see if he would take the bait.

She nodded. There was no need to say anything. 

She didn't see Sirius until second period, when they shared Arithmancy. "What did you do to him?" she hissed after Professor Vector had given them time to work on homework.

"Just a few good curses. Don't worry!"

If Sirius was anything, he was a good liar.

~

"YOU _WHAT_?!" Hermione looked up from her Potions essay just in time to dive out of James's way. After slamming the portrait shut, she walked over to Sirius, who was fuming.

"You didn't tell Snape, did you?" she asked softly, not bothering to restrain the horror from her tone.

He nodded.

Hermione raised her hand and slapped him as hard as she could. "You _bastard!_ You've tried to use Remus as a weapon! Did it dawn on you how much that would destroy him?" she hissed.

Clearly it hadn't. His eyes widened and he gasped, "What have I done?"

"You've ruined several people's lives, Black." She whirled around and raced out of the portrait. James would need help.

After the door shut with the sound of the Fat Lady complaining loudly, Sirius collapsed on the couch. '_What have I done? What have I done…_'

~

Snape had managed to escape though unconscious and being dragged by James up the stairs. "Go get Madam Pomfrey," he had gasped when Hermione came rushing out to meet him. She turned and fled back through the halls.

Dumbledore arrived when Madam Pomfrey threw something into the fire and screeched, "Albus! Something urgent has happened!" He stepped through, shook some dust from his robes, and dismissed Hermione with a nod.

She left without a word and hurried back to see if James needed any help.

~

The rest of the year flew by. Soon summer came, and since Hermione had no idea of where to go but a vision of a brick house that hadn't been built yet. So she stayed at Hogwarts. The halls were empty except for the ghosts and paintings, and by September was a good friend to all but Peeves. Agatha Christie played the part of a mother and became a good counselor. Hermione received letters from all of her friends (Severus included - he even wrote her a bit of poetry) and replied to them in great length. She worked to get ahead in her classes. But as they say, "There ain't no cure for the summertime blues."

Seventh year flew by as well. James and Lily were made Head Boy and Girl. There were no more events with Remus, and Severus kept to a group of Slytherins named Rosier, Wilkes, Lestrange, Vache (the last two announced their engagement at the end of the year), and Avery. Hermione was disappointed to see a boy with such promise associate himself with these people, but she didn't feel that it was her business to interfere.

Remus had broken up with her near the beginning of the year. He claimed that it wasn't safe, and he didn't want to hurt her. If they came up with a cure, or something that could make him safe, nothing would keep him from her, but in the meantime… well, he didn't quite see how it could work out. He refused to believe that Hermione could want anything to do with a werewolf outside of Hogwarts.

James would be preoccupied with Lily, and she wasn't comfortable with Remus any longer, so Hermione found a dear friend in Sirius Black. Nothing official ever came of it, but they were hardly seen apart. When Christmas came, they gave her several photo albums of pictures of herself, Lily, and the Marauders. There were several blank pages in the front of each, and she found that it was a sort of inter-active diary. "So you can talk to us, even if we're not there," they explained. She put the books in a room with a large wooden door decorated with iron. They held their private leaving party in this room. No one remembered to take down the decorations, and Dumbledore requested that Mr. Filch not disturb the place. It was in this room that nearly two decades later, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley found their friend lost in the photographs.

Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley never saw her again after she disappeared.

A/N: Condemning cliffie huh? ;D Go ahead, say it: I'm evil, vile (oddly enough, those two words are the same letters!), heartless, cruel, despicable, insensitive, etc. Not to mention, highly addicting, eh? MWA HA HA!

REVIEW!


	10. What A Day This Has Been

Disclaimer: Blah blah blah. You've heard this NINE TIMES ALREADY!

A/N: And the last chapter… Wow. This is the first fic I've ever gotten around to actually _finishing_… Cool! And yet… Sob! I'm so happy…

Maybe I'll write a sequel or two… Or three. ;D

Time Is a Pretzel

Chapter Nine:

Don't Let Me Down

"I'm in love for the first time.

Don't you know it's gonna last?

It's a love that lasts forever.

It's a love that has no past." 

Hermione collapsed into the chair by the fire. Four different locking charms on the door, three padlocks, and two chains assured that no one would easily get through.

An owl tapped at her window. Hermione glanced at the street below her apartment, opened the window, and pulled the bird inside. It dropped a letter at her feet then rested in the corner. After a few disarming spells, she ripped it open. It was a letter from Remus.

__

"Dearest H.G.,

I miss you. I was wondering if you could manage to visit next Wednesday. If you're not too busy at the Ministry, that is. I hear you're quite the successful witch! Congratulations about that plan I heard you came up with. It was quite a success from what I know. 

I'm sorry we've lost contact over this past year, but I've been busy searching for a job. Besides, indirect contact isn't very safe anymore. Reply ASAP!

Love, 

R.L."

Hermione walked into her study. Sitting at her desk, she scribbled out her letter.

__

"Dear R.L.,

I miss you too. I'll save the stories for next Wednesday. I'll be able to come at eighteen hundred hours.

Love,

H.G."

Handing it back to the owl, she opened the window to let it return to its master.

Hermione fumbled into her bedroom and collapsed onto the bed, not bothering to change into her nightclothes. As soon as her head made contact with the pillow, she fell asleep.

~

"Hermione!" shouted Patty Patil across the lounge.

The witch being addressed turned and narrowly missed splashing her coffee over a cocky young man in a bowler. "Sorry, Cornelius," she mumbled and edged her way through the throng of people with her mug held high in the air.

"What is it, Patty?" she gasped.

"In my office. Not here." Words weren't wasted those days.

The door clicked shut behind them.

"The Ministry's decided to put you on the front lines."

"_What?"_

"They've decided you'd be a good asset when it came to dueling."

"Well… of course… but I'd rather be here… strategizing…"

"Where it's safe?" interrupted Patty quietly. "Yeah. We all do. But Hermione, this isn't half as important as _doing_ the plan. Think about it! Those people out there now, they're saving lives. And not by coming up with some fancy drawings or planning. They're thinking things up on the spot. That's what you're good at. Better than the rest of us, anyway. So they've decided to put you out there. Take it as a compliment, Hermione. It means that you're more valuable than the rest of us."

"Yeah. Or vice versa."

"Well, the thing I haven't told you is you're not going in as the private, if you'll pardon the analogy. You're going in as a captain."

Hermione's jaw dropped. "You're kidding!"

"Now, why would I kid about a thing like that? The Ministry realizes you're a lot better than average, Hermione. It's not hard to miss."

A knock rapped on the door. "I didn't tell you, all right? I just thought I'd be a better friend than some stuffy official."

"And you are!" whispered Hermione and gave Patty a hug before opening the door. 

"Miss Granger?" asked the man at the door. Hermione recognized him as the man she had almost spilled her coffee on a few moments earlier.

Cornelius Fudge told her the same things Patty had, but with more formality, more unnecessary explanation, and no space for response. But he had something far more interesting to add.

"Miss Granger, I speak on behalf of the Ministry when I ask you if you would have any friends that might be able to help you?"

Hermione's mind instantly flew to Remus. Had he not mentioned that he was unemployed? What about Sirius? What was he doing? Certainly not looking for a job, but he _had_ been the second-best dueler at Hogwarts (herself the first). She voiced her opinions to the man; he nodded and took down the two names. "Any others?"

Lily and James had _not_ lost contact. They were already preoccupied as Aurors. And then of course, Lily was pregnant. They were most certainly busy.

"No, sir."

"Oh well. We will consider the two you have mentioned."

"Thank you, sir."

"Report to Alastor Moody for further instructions. He clicked his pen and began signing papers. He obviously thought speaking to her was a waste of his time.

"Yes, sir."

She shut the door firmly behind herself, just as grateful as Fudge that she was outside his stuffy and uncomfortable office.

~

A small noise was beginning to get on Lupin's nerves. Lying belly-down on his bed with the _Daily Prophet: Classified Ads_ underneath his nose, he was trying to circle the jobs he could apply. But that infernal tapping sound!

He looked up, and was surprised to see _three _owls outside his window! There was Faith, his own Tawny owl, and Athena, Hermione's owl (Sirius often complained about how that "blasted owl" seemed to be strategizing of ways to finish him off. Remus had never had problems with it - he let it fly around his small, bare house as it pleased.). And then there was the third owl. It looked common enough, but Remus could tell from the way it was glaring at him it was used to more elaborate homes than his own.

He opened his own owl's reply first. It was from Hermione telling him that she would be able to meet him. Then he read Hermione's second letter. It was an explanation of something Lupin didn't dare believe: She had found him a possible job! He could work on the battlefields against Voldemort, possibly take down some Death Eaters under her command. Eager to hear the formal version, he opened the letter he knew was from the Ministry of Magic.

__

"Dear R. Lupin:

You have been suggested for a job at the Ministry of Magic by H. Granger as a private in the war. If you could come to an interview at seventeen hundred hours, we will see you there. We have several questions for you, and would like to test your skills.

Yours sincerely,

Barty Crouch

Ministry of Magic."

He folded up the letter and marched down his very small hallway to his room. Throwing open the closet, he selected his very best set of robes. Amber in color with deep brown trim, there was only a tiny rip at the hem, where it had been caught on the door. Lily had done him a favor and cast several protection charms to save them from a certain wolf each month. They would do.

~

Sirius flipped through the books, checking the math again. What else was there to do at England's Gringotts? And the equations were never wrong - _never_. That's what the problem was. There was no thrill in this job.

With that thought, a letter was dropped onto the ledger in front of him. He tore into it, eager for news of any kind.

__

"Dear S. Black,

You have been suggested for a job at the Ministry of Magic by H. Granger as a private in the war. If you could come to an interview at eighteen hundred hours, we will see you there. We have several questions for you, and would like to test your skills.

Yours sincerely,

Barty Crouch

Ministry of Magic."

He happily folded the letter and placed it in his pocket. _'Anything to get out of this hell-hole!'_ he thought eagerly. Talk about out of the frying pan and into the fire.

~

"Ah, Mister Lupin. Yes. I see you are currently unemployed?"

"I've been trying to find a job, ma'am."

"I take it is because of your lycanthopry." More of a statement than a question.

"Most likely, ma'am."

"Please do not waste our time with formalities, Mr. Lupin. I imagine we would both like to see you start work as soon as possible."

"Thank you."

"No problem. Now, you would require three days off per full moon?"

"I could handle two."

"Nonsense. We don't need another body without a grave. You will have three at minimum with only one weekend break per month." He nodded before she continued. "I think, therefore, with your salary, and your… _medical condition_, you should be paid four Galleons and nine Sickles per month. If You-Know-Who is defeated, I can not guarantee you will have a position here."

"I understand."

"Good. I noticed on your record that you were particularly skilled in your Defense Against the Dark Arts class. It seems you worked especially well with creatures, which makes sense. However, do you think you were any good at curses?"

"Slightly. I wasn't as talented as some, but I did have a knack for summoning a Patronus. I might be of some help there." She nodded and marked something on a form. "I also practiced body-binds of all sorts, including the Stunning Spell. _Expelliarmus_ always came naturally." Her pen made a few scratches, and she looked up. "Thank you, Mr. Lupin. If you'll follow me to the testing room…" She opened the door narrowly avoided having her face pounded on. Remus grinned at the scarlet blush on Sirius's face.

"Sorry," he mumbled, and the woman swished past him with her nose in the air.

"You think they'll build a skyscraper off that thing?" Remus whispered as he passed Sirius. He managed a weak laugh, and Remus clapped him on the back. "Good luck, Padfoot. They're like wolves in there." This time, it was an honest laugh.

"Mr. Lupin!" she screeched.

"Coming, Mother," Remus replied under his breath, but loud enough for Sirius to hear him.

"Go on, Moony. Before she has to wrap your hands with a ruler."

"See you later!"

~

Remus was accepted, and so was Sirius. Hermione was delighted when she heard and insisted on treating them to dinner at her favorite restaurant, a place called "The Village Café." She ordered for them, and they talked amiably of their Hogwarts days and how much they missed seeing each other. Not once was Voldemort mentioned.

Dinner came, and as they sat sipping their wine, the check came. Hermione frowned but pulled out a leather book, and after some scribbling, placed another piece of paper on top of the receipt.

Hermione led them out of the lobby and into an alley to Apparate to her apartment building. She led them upstairs to her apartment on the third floor, where she cast a bubble around herself while she said many passwords, cast many unlocking charms, and pulled out many keys. Sirius doubted Mad-Eye Moody himself could have opened the door in time to stop someone from leaving.

"Welcome to my humble abode," she said with a smile when the door swung open, and she had separated the barrier between them. "Please keep your hands and arms inside the windows at all times. Smoking is not permitted. Thank you."

"No problem," muttered Sirius as he claimed the crimson chair by the window. Remus fell onto the couch, and Hermione sank into the purple beanbag in the corner.

"Now all we need is James and Lily," sighed Hermione.

"I have a feeling we'll be seeing them soon enough. I got an invitation just before we left concerning a baby shower."

"God help us."

"My thoughts exactly."

They laughed. "And I was thinking," Sirius continued, "that with it born, they're going to be really busy. So what if we gave them a long vacation, a week or something, to Paris? You know, after he or she is born. It'd be a good break."

Hermione grinned, and Remus nodded.

Their conversation continued for a few hours, and before Hermione knew it, Remus was standing up.

"Well, I better get going. Don't want to be late for my first day."

Sirius stood up as well. "Me too." Hermione saw them to the door, where she pulled out various keys and began undoing the locks. Remus swept through and began walking down the stairs. Sirius, however, hesitated and planted a quick kiss on Hermione's cheek before he joined him. "Lily mentioned something about you being Godmother," he whispered in her ear.

Hermione stared after them. "Be careful," she whispered before going back inside.

~

A red light began flashing all around the Department of Defense. "Everybody prepare!" shouted Hermione. She'd been there a week, and already everyone knew not to question her.

Remus and Sirius dropped their mugs of tea, grabbed their wands, and threw on their uniform robes. Hermione burst in the door. "Are you two ready yet? This is an emergency!" Much to their disappointment, Hermione hadn't favored them at all. Quite the opposite, as a matter of fact. They didn't expect anything else.

Everyone grabbed a broom and flew to the extents of the Ministry grounds. Landing, they all Apparated to the designated point: Liverpool.

~

Hermione was still on her broom, zooming around and firing curses. Although the Unforgivable Curses were authorized by Barty Crouch, Hermione made a vow never to use them. So instead she used body-binds and other hexes. Sirius was in the front, conjuring a giant shield to block the people from the less potent curses. A sweeping cold rushed the field. "Remus!" she shouted over her shoulder. He nodded and summoned his Patronus. A large blast of silver smoke and as Remus backed away, it took the form of a giant wolf with legs as tall as humans. It howled, then charged towards the Dementors. They scattered. Hermione summoned hers as well, a peregrine falcon. With a piercing shriek, it took to the sky and swooped down next to the wolf. Hermione took the time to smile at her Patronus, then began firing curses.

Lucius Malfoy looked up through his mask. He could just make someone out, slightly taller than the rest. She summoned a Patronus, then fired a Stunning Charm at Nott, who was standing beside him.

__

"Sanguina Siphonus!" he shouted. The witch gave a crew, then fell off her broom. He smirked, not realizing that behind him, Severus Snape watched in horror.

Severus turned and fled. He had heard the words Lucius spoke.There was no way to counter it. And it was very painful, if what he had read and seen were reliable sources. As he fled deeper into the forest, he threw off his Death Eater mask and robes. _'What am I doing?' _he pondered. _'I have to see Dumbledore…'_ And with that, Apparated to Hogsmeade.

~

Something black and horrible hit Hermione in the left shoulder. She screamed in agony, and fell off her broom. Remus heard her, and ran to her. In the front, Sirius was watching the Patronuses do their work. Suddenly, the falcon flickered. It started to fade and fell to the ground with a painful screech. The wolf howled in sadness. Only a Patronus whose conjurer had been hurt reacted like that… He dropped the charm and fled.

He let his heart guide him, finally willing to admit that he loved her more than anything else. There she was… lying on the ground, slowly bleeding from the heart and her arm broken. Remus was crouched beside her, trying to press his robe onto the wound. It didn't help.

"Sirius," she whispered. A fit of coughing overtook her with this one word, and blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.

"Shhh," said Sirius, placing a hand behind her head and lifting it. He placed the other hand around her waist. "It's okay. Everything's going to be okay." A tear trickled from his eye, and he let it tickle him.

"Stop fooling yourself. Someone hit me with a Forever Bleeding curse. I'll bleed until I die. Which should be soon." 

"No!" he cried. "I won't let you leave!"

"There's no counter-curse, Sirius. You're wasting your time trying to stop it, Remus."

He did stop, but he simply let the bloody robes rest in his lap. He began crying, but with a straight back and refusing to look at her.

"Sirius, I'm sorry I was so stupid," spoke Hermione, and began coughing again.

"You were never stupid."

"Yes, I was. I let you get away from me."

"I was the one who let you get away, Hermione. It's my fault."

He bent down and kissed her. The last chance he had to kiss her - he wasn't going to let it get away from him. There was the taste of blood, but he also felt something else: _love_. He tasted love.

She broke from his lips, pulled in a reeling gasp of breath, and fell limp in his arms.

Maybe he should have screamed. Maybe he should have cried. Maybe he should have gathered her lifeless body up in his arms and rocked back and forth. But none of these things seemed appropriate for _Hermione_. Instead, he lay down next to her and intertwined her fingers with his. "I love you, Hermione Granger," he whispered. 

Remus didn't join his words in body or voice, but he did in spirit.

A/N: SOB! I just had to finish it like this… you understand, don't you?

I actually started sniffling while writing this chapter.

AGGH! The song I'm listening to know is Michelle Branch's "Goodbye to You", and it just kind of hurts, you know what I mean? But it's so appropriate!

As you may remember, I mentioned writing a few sequels. The first would be from Remus's point of view, after he is fired from the Ministry of Magic. The second would be from Sirius's point of view while he is in Azkaban. The third would be from both of their viewpoints in the scene of the Shrieking Shack, courtesy of PoA. 

Anyway - this is the part where I thank all of you for your fantastic support, criticism, and simply reading and reviewing:

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Kat - thanks for helping me get all these peoples' "thank you"s ready!

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Mika Kino - the Mad Hatter and March Hare are fabulous! So this may not be your favorite chapter, but oh well. Mr. Bluebird-on-my-shoulder thanks you as well!

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Ron's Secret Admirer - Amos is Cedric's father. And who says she has to remember stuff? It's more tragic for Moony & Padfoot if they have to figure it out for themselves. I switched LotR to Twister so it would be in the correct time frame. Otherwise, FA wouldn't upload it.

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I Love Tom Felton - look who's talking!

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Lil Loki Puck - thank you! Umm… well, for an explanation, how about this: Dumbledore would (of course!) figure it out first, then told Remus not to act as if he'd met her before. Sirius' reaction explanation can be found in PoA (and I'll mention the quote in the third epilogue if I get around to writing it).

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Haley Potter - you're very welcome!

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Moony's Nymph - well, I try! I hope you're satisfied!

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SAKURAnTOKYO - soap operas, huh? Well, you've read the right fic! Hope this is Soap Opera-y enough!

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pickle the dragon - thank you! And I agree with you about the whole Romeo & Juliet thing. It _is_ very cliché.

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Mickey802 - If you want Severus, read my other fic.

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Harue-chan - You've been the most faithful reviewer I've ever had! Thank you so much! 


	11. What A Rare Mood I'm In...

Disclaimer: I realize this is practically the same chapter as before. And it is - **_almost_**. I've changed the ending, due to complaint *cough Elfin cough* to something I hope is less dramatic, and you Remus fans out there should appreciate more. So either reread the first part, or skip to just below the part where Severus runs. It's your choice. But please read the ending and let me know!

A/N: See above.

Time Is a Pretzel

Chapter Nine:

There Will Be An Answer

"And in my hour of darkness,

She is standing right in front of me

Speaking words of wisdom:

'Let it be.'" 

Hermione collapsed into the chair by the fire. Four different locking charms on the door, three padlocks, and two chains assured that no one would easily get through.

An owl tapped at her window. Hermione glanced at the street below her apartment, opened the window, and pulled the bird inside. It dropped a letter at her feet then rested in the corner. After a few disarming spells, she ripped it open. It was a letter from Remus.

__

"Dearest H.G.,

I miss you. I was wondering if you could manage to visit next Wednesday. If you're not too busy at the Ministry, that is. I hear you're quite the successful witch! Congratulations about that plan I heard you came up with. It was quite a success from what I know. 

I'm sorry we've lost contact over this past year, but I've been busy searching for a job. Besides, indirect contact isn't very safe anymore. Reply ASAP!

Love, 

R.L."

Hermione walked into her study. Sitting at her desk, she scribbled out her letter.

__

"Dear R.L.,

I miss you too. I'll save the stories for next Wednesday. I'll be able to come at eighteen hundred hours.

Love,

H.G."

Handing it back to the owl, she opened the window to let it return to its master.

Hermione fumbled into her bedroom and collapsed onto the bed, not bothering to change into her nightclothes. As soon as her head made contact with the pillow, she fell asleep.

~

"Hermione!" shouted Patty Patil across the lounge.

The witch being addressed turned and narrowly missed splashing her coffee over a cocky young man in a bowler. "Sorry, Cornelius," she mumbled and edged her way through the throng of people with her mug held high in the air.

"What is it, Patty?" she gasped.

"In my office. Not here." Words weren't wasted those days.

The door clicked shut behind them.

"The Ministry's decided to put you on the front lines."

"_What?"_

"They've decided you'd be a good asset when it came to dueling."

"Well… of course… but I'd rather be here… strategizing…"

"Where it's safe?" interrupted Patty quietly. "Yeah. We all do. But Hermione, this isn't half as important as _doing_ the plan. Think about it! Those people out there now, they're saving lives. And not by coming up with some fancy drawings or planning. They're thinking things up on the spot. That's what you're good at. Better than the rest of us, anyway. So they've decided to put you out there. Take it as a compliment, Hermione. It means that you're more valuable than the rest of us."

"Yeah. Or vice versa."

"Well, the thing I haven't told you is you're not going in as the private, if you'll pardon the analogy. You're going in as a captain."

Hermione's jaw dropped. "You're kidding!"

"Now, why would I kid about a thing like that? The Ministry realizes you're a lot better than average, Hermione. It's not hard to miss."

A knock rapped on the door. "I didn't tell you, all right? I just thought I'd be a better friend than some stuffy official."

"And you are!" whispered Hermione and gave Patty a hug before opening the door. 

"Miss Granger?" asked the man at the door. Hermione recognized him as the man she had almost spilled her coffee on a few moments earlier.

Cornelius Fudge told her the same things Patty had, but with more formality, more unnecessary explanation, and no space for response. But he had something far more interesting to add.

"Miss Granger, I speak on behalf of the Ministry when I ask you if you would have any friends that might be able to help you?"

Hermione's mind instantly flew to Remus. Had he not mentioned that he was unemployed? What about Sirius? What was he doing? Certainly not looking for a job, but he _had_ been the second-best dueler at Hogwarts (herself the first). She voiced her opinions to the man; he nodded and took down the two names. "Any others?"

Lily and James had _not_ lost contact. They were already preoccupied as Aurors. And then of course, Lily was pregnant. They were most certainly busy.

"No, sir."

"Oh well. We will consider the two you have mentioned."

"Thank you, sir."

"Report to Alastor Moody for further instructions. He clicked his pen and began signing papers. He obviously thought speaking to her was a waste of his time.

"Yes, sir."

She shut the door firmly behind herself, just as grateful as Fudge that she was outside his stuffy and uncomfortable office.

~

A small noise was beginning to get on Lupin's nerves. Lying belly-down on his bed with the _Daily Prophet: Classified Ads_ underneath his nose, he was trying to circle the jobs he could apply. But that infernal tapping sound!

He looked up, and was surprised to see _three _owls outside his window! There was Faith, his own Tawny owl, and Athena, Hermione's owl (Sirius often complained about how that "blasted owl" seemed to be strategizing of ways to finish him off. Remus had never had problems with it - he let it fly around his small, bare house as it pleased.). And then there was the third owl. It looked common enough, but Remus could tell from the way it was glaring at him it was used to more elaborate homes than his own.

He opened his own owl's reply first. It was from Hermione telling him that she would be able to meet him. Then he read Hermione's second letter. It was an explanation of something Lupin didn't dare believe: She had found him a possible job! He could work on the battlefields against Voldemort, possibly take down some Death Eaters under her command. Eager to hear the formal version, he opened the letter he knew was from the Ministry of Magic.

__

"Dear R. Lupin:

You have been suggested for a job at the Ministry of Magic by H. Granger as a private in the war. If you could come to an interview at seventeen hundred hours, we will see you there. We have several questions for you, and would like to test your skills.

Yours sincerely,

Barty Crouch

Ministry of Magic."

He folded up the letter and marched down his very small hallway to his room. Throwing open the closet, he selected his very best set of robes. Amber in color with deep brown trim, there was only a tiny rip at the hem, where it had been caught on the door. Lily had done him a favor and cast several protection charms to save them from a certain wolf each month. They would do.

~

Sirius flipped through the books, checking the math again. What else was there to do at England's Gringotts? And the equations were never wrong - _never_. That's what the problem was. There was no thrill in this job.

With that thought, a letter was dropped onto the ledger in front of him. He tore into it, eager for news of any kind.

__

"Dear S. Black,

You have been suggested for a job at the Ministry of Magic by H. Granger as a private in the war. If you could come to an interview at eighteen hundred hours, we will see you there. We have several questions for you, and would like to test your skills.

Yours sincerely,

Barty Crouch

Ministry of Magic."

He happily folded the letter and placed it in his pocket. _'Anything to get out of this hell-hole!'_ he thought eagerly. Talk about out of the frying pan and into the fire.

~

"Ah, Mister Lupin. Yes. I see you are currently unemployed?"

"I've been trying to find a job, ma'am."

"I take it is because of your lycanthopry." More of a statement than a question.

"Most likely, ma'am."

"Please do not waste our time with formalities, Mr. Lupin. I imagine we would both like to see you start work as soon as possible."

"Thank you."

"No problem. Now, you would require three days off per full moon?"

"I could handle two."

"Nonsense. We don't need another body without a grave. You will have three at minimum with only one weekend break per month." He nodded before she continued. "I think, therefore, with your salary, and your… _medical condition_, you should be paid four Galleons and nine Sickles per month. If You-Know-Who is defeated, I can not guarantee you will have a position here."

"I understand."

"Good. I noticed on your record that you were particularly skilled in your Defense Against the Dark Arts class. It seems you worked especially well with creatures, which makes sense. However, do you think you were any good at curses?"

"Slightly. I wasn't as talented as some, but I did have a knack for summoning a Patronus. I might be of some help there." She nodded and marked something on a form. "I also practiced body-binds of all sorts, including the Stunning Spell. _Expelliarmus_ always came naturally." Her pen made a few scratches, and she looked up. "Thank you, Mr. Lupin. If you'll follow me to the testing room…" She opened the door narrowly avoided having her face pounded on. Remus grinned at the scarlet blush on Sirius's face.

"Sorry," he mumbled, and the woman swished past him with her nose in the air.

"You think they'll build a skyscraper off that thing?" Remus whispered as he passed Sirius. He managed a weak laugh, and Remus clapped him on the back. "Good luck, Padfoot. They're like wolves in there." This time, it was an honest laugh.

"Mr. Lupin!" she screeched.

"Coming, Mother," Remus replied under his breath, but loud enough for Sirius to hear him.

"Go on, Moony. Before she has to rap your hands with a ruler."

"See you later!"

~

Remus was accepted, and so was Sirius. Hermione was delighted when she heard and insisted on treating them to dinner at her favorite restaurant, a place called "The Village Café." She ordered for them, and they talked amiably of their Hogwarts days and how much they missed seeing each other. Not once was Voldemort mentioned.

Dinner came, and as they sat sipping their wine, the check came. Hermione frowned but pulled out a leather book, and after some scribbling, placed another piece of paper on top of the receipt.

Hermione led them out of the lobby and into an alley to Apparate to her apartment building. She led them upstairs to her apartment on the third floor, where she cast a bubble around herself while she said many passwords, cast many unlocking charms, and pulled out many keys. Sirius doubted Mad-Eye Moody himself could have opened the door in time to stop someone from leaving.

"Welcome to my humble abode," she said with a smile when the door swung open, and she had separated the barrier between them. "Please keep your hands and arms inside the windows at all times. Smoking is not permitted. Thank you."

"No problem," muttered Sirius as he claimed the crimson chair by the window. Remus fell onto the couch, and Hermione sank into the purple beanbag in the corner.

"Now all we need is James and Lily," sighed Hermione.

"I have a feeling we'll be seeing them soon enough. I got an invitation just before we left concerning a baby shower."

"God help us."

"My thoughts exactly."

They laughed. "And I was thinking," Sirius continued, "that with it born, they're going to be really busy. So what if we gave them a long vacation, a week or something, to Paris? You know, after he or she is born. It'd be a good break."

Hermione grinned, and Remus nodded.

Their conversation continued for a few hours, and before Hermione knew it, Remus was standing up.

"Well, I better get going. Don't want to be late for my first day."

Sirius stood up as well. "Me too." Hermione saw them to the door, where she pulled out various keys and began undoing the locks. Remus swept through and began walking down the stairs. Sirius, however, hesitated and planted a quick kiss on Hermione's cheek before he joined him. "Lily mentioned something about you being Godmother," he whispered in her ear.

Hermione stared after them. "Be careful," she whispered before going back inside.

~

A red light began flashing all around the Department of Defense. "Everybody prepare!" shouted Hermione. She'd been there a week, and already everyone knew not to question her.

Remus and Sirius dropped their mugs of tea, grabbed their wands, and threw on their uniform robes. Hermione burst in the door. "Are you two ready yet? This is an emergency!" Much to their disappointment, Hermione hadn't favored them at all. Quite the opposite, as a matter of fact. They didn't expect anything else.

Everyone grabbed a broom and flew to the extents of the Ministry grounds. Landing, they all Apparated to the designated point: Liverpool.

~

Hermione was still on her broom, zooming around and firing curses. Although the Unforgivable Curses were authorized by Barty Crouch, Hermione made a vow never to use them. So instead she used body-binds and other hexes. Sirius was in the front, conjuring a giant shield to block the people from the less potent curses. A sweeping cold rushed the field. "Remus!" she shouted over her shoulder. He nodded and summoned his Patronus. A large blast of silver smoke and as Remus backed away, it took the form of a giant wolf with legs tall as humans. It howled, then charged the Dementors. They scattered. Hermione summoned hers as well, a peregrine falcon. With a piercing shriek, it took to the sky and swooped down next to the wolf. Hermione took the time to smile at her Patronus, then began firing curses.

Lucius Malfoy looked up through his mask. He could just make someone out, slightly taller than the rest. She summoned a Patronus, then fired a Stunning Charm at Nott, who was standing beside him.

__

"Mellous Putrefy!" he shouted. The witch gave a cry, then fell off her broom. He smirked, not realizing that behind him, Severus Snape watched in horror.

Severus turned and fled. He had heard the words Lucius spoke. There was no way to counter it. And it was very painful, if what he had read and seen were reliable sources. As he fled deeper into the forest, he threw off his Death Eater mask and robes. _'What am I doing?' _he pondered. _'I have to see Dumbledore…'_ And with that, Apparated to Hogsmeade.

~

Something black and horrible hit Hermione in the left shoulder. She screamed in agony, and fell off her broom. Remus heard her and ran to her. In the front, Sirius was watching the Patronuses do their work. Suddenly the falcon flickered. It started to fade and fell to the ground with a painful screech. The wolf howled in sadness. Only a Patronus whose conjurer had been hurt reacted like that… He dropped the charm and fled.

He let his heart guide him, finally willing to admit that he loved her more than anything else.

Her skin was slowly shrinking, her face becoming pale and eyes sunken. Her resigned look made him shiver. Hermione _never_ gave up, but here she was not fighting.

"Hermione! What happened?"

"Someone hit me with an Aging Curse. See how my hands are seizing up with Rheumatism and my knees are stiffening?"

Remus desperately seized a hand and cast a spell. Her knuckles relaxed for an instant, then seized up worse than before.

She cringed but weakly smiled, revealing her once dazzling teeth were now rotting in her very mouth. "It doesn't help, Remus."

"I know," he whispered.

Sirius fell to his knees beside her. His mind seemed to be on auto-pilot, because he wasn't really intending to say the words that came out of his mouth:

"'The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want; He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters; He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake.'"

He paused, and his eyes, which had been staring at the bright blue sky, returned to Hermione's face. Crow's feet were deepening around her eyes and her cheeks were hollowing out as if a pottery artist were scooping out her skin like clay. "Continue," she croaked. Remus squeezed her knobby hand harder and covered his eyes with the other shaking one. Sirius grasped her free hand, and she leaned back against the ground, thin snow-white hair bubbling around her.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, trying to remember her as the young woman he'd seen no less than an hour ago.

"'Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.'"

He took another deep breath but did not open his eyes for fear of what he would see.

"'Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies; thou anointest my head with oil, my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.'"

He breathed again and felt warmth and blissful satisfactions surround him. He released his fear to the comfort around him and had courage within him again. 

He looked down. Her eyes were closed, and her lips were smiling, but her breath was gone from her body.

"You didn't hear her last words," whispered Remus beside him. It didn't matter that small explosions and screams filled the air - they were clinging to each other's voices for comfort and weren't about to miss a word.

"What were they?"

He paused, then said, "'_Name him Harry_.'"

The silence that hung among the sounds was filled with fear, and both men realized her last words would change the world, though none knew how drastically.

A/N: That was Psalm 23.

Don't forget to Review!


	12. Almost Like Being In Love

Disclaimer: If I were J.K. Rowling, I would be working on the Official Fifth Book. And if I'm working on this, I must not be J.K. Rowling. This means I don't own Harry Potter & Co., so please don't sue me. I would like to add that I am now the proud owner of Goblet of Fire, paperback version.

I don't own "Rhythm of the Rain" by The Cascades either.

A/N: So I told you about doing this. And so many people asked me to do them. I pulled the setting from a ficlet I read on Fiction Alley, where Remus was reflecting on James and Lily the night they died. I'm sorry that I don't remember the title…

I also bring up Snape for the last paragraph or so. Sorry: I needed to show you how he turned out, and I made a vow to myself to make only THREE epilogues. Not four. This is also why I'm including the explanation to Harry and Ron at the end of the third. If there's any other character I've left hanging that I seem to have forgotten about (besides James - I'll take care of him in a separate, one-chapter fic), let me know.

The poetry written by Severus is my own original work.

I bring up God in this chapter, so if you're an atheist, it's your problem. I won't listen if you try to flame me. I tried not to bring up Christ, as not to offend my Jewish friends. But I simply want to point out that it's a _church_, not a synagogue.

Anyway, here you go!

Time Is A Pretzel

Epilogue One:

She Took My Heart

"Listen to the rhythm of the falling rain,   
Telling me just what a fool I've been.   
I wish that it would go and let me cry in vain,   
And let me be alone again." 

That smell. He _hated_ that smell. It was like a punch in the stomach, or worse yet, the guts. It made him want to throw up. But for all the horrible pretense, he never thought it could taste so wonderful.

__

'So this is why people like to get drunk,' thought Remus as he tipped back the bottle of Firewhiskey. The last sweet drop moistened his tongue, and he raised his hand in the air. He fished another coin from his pocket, placed it on the growing pile, and waited for the waitress ('_Ruby, was it?'_) to return with a new bottle.

…

"Hermione, you look…"

"Stunning? Gorgeous? Beautiful?" she replied hopefully. In an effort to add emphasis, she twirled around in the deep red dress. (A/N: I went back over my chapter and decided, that apart from sleeves and color, I want this dress to look like the one that Padmé wears in the scene where she and Anakin first kiss - you know. Practically no back…)

"Shakespeare himself would be lost for words." He caught hold of her spinning arm and pulled her to him. Lips upon lips took his breath away, and he hugged her closer.

"I'm glad you had this idea of our own Christmas party. It's peaceful being with only you for a change. It's like I emptied my mind of every thought but you." She kissed him again, standing slightly on tiptoe, even in high-heels, to reach his mouth.

He popped his wand towards a wizarding wireless (A/N: to make my job easier, it comes equipped with a CD player. ;D), and "The Christmas Song" by Nat Cole filled the room. They began to sway gently to the crooning music.

__

And so I'm offering this simple phrase

To kids from one to ninety-two

Although it's been said, many times, many ways,

Merry Christmas to you.

Remus held out a wide but thin box wrapped in deep blue paper. Hermione cautiously took it off, and wasn't very surprised to see a jewelry box, like the kind a necklace comes in.

"It took me a month and a half to save up for it," Remus added as she gasped at what was inside.

Indeed, it was a necklace. But it was beyond what Hermione normally would buy. Remus lifted it from the box and fastened it behind her. A thin braid of solid gold wound itself around her neck with tiny rubies dripping from the metal like rain. As it moved towards the center, the rubies progressed in size until at the very heart, a ruby the size of her ear rested an inch below her collar bone. "Thank you," were the only words to escape her lips, but the emotion more than made up for it.

…

A drunken man doesn't wait with his hands folded neatly in his lap, slowly going over the thoughts of stock investments.

Before that branch spreads out, it must be established that there are two kinds of drunken men. The first kind gets drunk to party and ends up center stage, singing the worst songs in the history of rock 'n roll. People like these sometime go by the name of Sirius Black, James Potter, or Bill Weasley. The second kind gets drunk because they want to forget something, but actually end up soaking themselves in memories. These people resume the titles of Severus Snape, Harry Potter, or Remus Lupin.

…

Lily was out that night with James, Peter had disappeared again, and Sirius had promised to come back sober, so Remus and Hermione was lounging on her bed (fully clothed, you pervs!). Hermione's nose was buried in a spiral notebook filled with something she refused to let Remus look at. He was trying to distract her by playing with her feet.

He was done with the massage, had repainted her toenails seven times, and given a serious rubdown with plumeria-scented lotion. There was only one thing left to do…

He took a long finger and ran it slowly down the center crease. She snorted, and kicked him in the jaw.

"OW!" he howled.

"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry, Remus!"

He spat out a molar and growled. A large, greenish-purple bruise the size of Snape's nose was starting to take hold of his face.

"I'll go get some ice! Lay down; I'll be right back!" She scrambled off the bed and out the door.

He lay down, but felt something poke into his back. A dark green with silver binding greeted his eyes as he pulled it out from underneath him. Ignoring the impish voice that told him to respect Hermione's privacy, he opened it up and submersed himself.

__

"As dark as the Evil that lurks in shadows,

The darkness in the human soul

Is just as foul and more potent

Than any dragon, werewolf, or beast

On earth.

The potential of Evil is the thing that all men fear most."

"Wow…" whispered Remus, and flipped to the front page to try to discover who had written something so stunning.

"_Property of Severus Snape._"

He snapped it shut, eyes wide. What was Hermione doing with a book full of poetry written by that greasy git?

One thing was certain. Hermione would have a lot of explaining to do when she got back.

…

All but one of the aforementioned people did such at least once for one person. One girl, to be more precise. She was designated as Hermione Granger.

Remus let his head fall forward onto the table. There was a smooth dip in the wood, presumably from people like him doing the same thing before, and he rested there. _'God? What have You done? Why did You take her away from me? I loved her… I'll never love anyone as I loved her again. You took that away from me.'_

A tiny voice in the back of his mind, a voice more patient, yet more sad, echoed. _'You may have loved me, Remus, but you refused to admit it. I would have loved you beyond what I thought was capable.'_ And in a small glow from the dark corner of the seat beside him, a peregrine falcon spread its minute wings and fluttered up to perch on his quivering hand.

__

'Are you an angel?' he thought in awe. At this point, he was drunk enough to believe anything.

…

"Come on, Remus! I promise, they won't shoot you."

He still tried to resist her grasp. If he had really been pulling however, they would be on the other side of town by now.

He gave up and passed through the enormous wooden doors. Stained-glass windows filtered the light into splashes of color all over the room. A magnificent organ rose to the ceiling, and people were already kneeling behind the pews.

"It's a beautiful church," he found himself murmuring.

"Told you so," she replied with a hint of snootiness, but led him to a bench in the back just the same.

Without a sound, she lowered the kneeling rail covered in red velvet and stooped on it, hands folded in prayer. Remus, clueless as to how this really worked, followed suit.

"Listen to what they're saying and concentrate on it," whispered Hermione from the side of her mouth.

Remus tried to clear his head and listen. The words seemed to float quietly through the air and into his ears.

In nearly half an hour, the service was over, and Hermione was sitting quietly, gazing at the images of angels. Astonishing wings and golden halos surrounded their heads, as the white robes floated gently on an imaginary breeze. He sat down beside her and took her hand in his.

"Angels don't look like that," she whispered after a few silent minutes.

Remus started, and turned to look at her. "What do they look like, then?"

"I'm not sure. I've only seen one. It was silvery-grey, and it looked like a mix between a ghost, dust, light, and very soft clay. And it didn't look like a human. It was a swallow, and when it spoke, it had the most beautiful voice…"

A lone tear slowly found its way down her cheek, and Remus didn't press the matter further.

…

__

'No, dear heart. Angels get to stay. I'm only here to give you a nudge in the right direction, and then I'll disappear… well, not forever. But you won't see me for awhile.'

'I'll see you again?!' pounded in his brain. His heart leapt and seemed to burst from his very chest.

__

'Yes. I have been shown everything by Him. I know where I came from now. But when I see you again, it will hurt. You'll understand when the time comes.'

'I want to understand **now**…'

The tiny falcon screeched, but not a head stirred.

**__**

'You want to understand! What do you think I went through? Everyday, I wanted to know where I came from, why no one was looking for me over the summer! EVERYDAY, REMUS! To the day I died, I didn't know who my parents were! They were bloody dentists, for Christ's sake! And they loved me…'

"Then why didn't they come looking for you?" The waitress wiping the counter looked up at him, and then returned to her rags, muttering, "I'll never get used to this…"

__

'I can't tell you that, dearest. But all in good time…'

'If you can't explain things to me, why are you here? You don't seem to be doing any nudging…'

The falcon sighed. _'Remus Jade Lupin, I want you to listen to me. This is the last time I'll get to talk to you as the Hermione you knew. I know you were fired from the Ministry two days after I died. Your Patronus helped immensely in the battle, but Crouch wasn't ready to admit a certain werewolf is worth more than an Auror. It's his fault, arrogant bastard. Not yours. You must keep working. You'll find a job work. You'll survive the world and all its cruelties. But listen to this Remus: You can't run away from your problems. I don't care if you found them or vice versa. Whatever the obstacle, you have the strength to conquer it. You have the intelligence to outwit it. You have the heart to show the world love. So get out there darling, and do what I ask. It may not matter how exactly you feel me. I may be what some people call "inspiration", or their "conscience", or even some stupid piece of horse shit stuck to your boot. But I'll always be watching you. Prodding you. Trying to help you. And I want you let go of me. Don't cling to me, Remus. I'm not a spirit if you do that. I can't help anyone else. I've freed myself from you. Now you have to let go of me.'_

'What if I don't?' he thought miserably, but not quite as miserably as before. 

__

'I'll be trapped with you in this world and the next. And then you'll drag us both down to Hell. Don't do that to me, Remus. If there's a reason to let me go and love again, say it's because you don't want me to go to Hell.

'Here's where I leave you, love. I can't take this anymore. I'll miss you. And don't forget to keep living.'

'Hermione…'

'Yes?' she replied. Her wings were outstretched, as if ready for flight.

__

'Did you love us all?'

'Down to the very last molecule. But for different reasons…'

…

Privacy at last…

She pulled out one of the photo albums given to her for Christmas along with her best quill and a bottle of fresh ink. 

__

"Hello, Marauders."

"Mr. Prongs wishes to inquire if Ms. Granger feels all right?"

"I'm fine, Prongs. I'm just tense. How's Mr. Padfoot?"

"Mr. Padfoot is hungry and annoyingly sober, but otherwise fine."

"And Moony?"

"Mr. Moony expresses his frustration that Mr. Wormtail won't stop whining about his homework."

"What's the problem Wormtail?"

"Professor Trelawney told me I would owe my life to my enemy, and if I can't tell her who the enemy is, I fail Divination! It's my favorite subject!"

"Mr. Prongs is unwilling to make this suggestion, but You-Know-Who seems quite obvious as Wormtail's enemy."

"Yeah, Prongs, but if Professor Trelawney meant him, it wouldn't be homework!"

"Maybe it's Snape," suggested Moony.

__

"Do not mention his foul name here!" Padfoot exclaimed.

The arguing continued amongst the four, when Hermione broke in and wrote, _"I love you guys."_

There was an enormous pause, then Padfoot wrote, _"Why?"_

"Well, I love Prongs for his intelligence, his humor, his bravery, and his foul moods. I love Padfoot for his wit, his charisma, his artistic nature, and his thoughtfulness. I love Moony for his patience, his tenderness, his temper, and his sensitivity. I love Wormtail for his common sense, his privacy, his innocence, and his silence."

Prongs was the first to reply. _"And we love you too, Hermione."_

…

She stepped off his shaking finger and onto the table. Her ghostly pale Patronus turned around to look at him one last time.

An amber-brown bottle was pressed down on top of her. A tear came to his eye. He hadn't gotten to say good-bye…

"I'd never thought I'd say this, mate, but you've drunk every drop of whiskey in the house. This is the very last bottle."

He reached out a hand and knocked it over. The foul, syrupy liquid streamed over the deep wood and down onto the floor. "I changed my mind. I don't want to taste another drop of it ever again."

"Can I get that in writing?" shouted the other woman across the bar. Ruby chuckled and grabbed the nearest towel. "Don't mind Elise, Mister. She's bitter about everyone. We've had far worse drunks. The only trouble we've had out of you is a complaint from customers about inhaling a good bit of liqueur and a little bit of mumbling to yourself. Hell, that isn't much at all."

Remus lifted his head and smiled. "Thank you, ma'am. Well, now that I've thrown away my savings, I suppose I'd better go get another job."

Ruby frowned. "That was your savings?"

He nodded and blushed. It hit home at last how foolish he'd just been. 

"Well consider all that stuff on the house. I don't want someone ruining himself for a few barrels of alcohol."

She pushed the pile back at him. He considered his options. He could either graciously take back the money, or have her throw it at him. He chose the former.

"Thank you." He scooped the mound of coins into his pockets and walked out of the bar. The limp from four years ago suddenly returned, and Remus bore it as a sign of honor into the streetlight.

He wavered in and out of the street as he stumbled towards home. Every once in awhile, he would come close to falling, but an invisible force would stop him in midair only to help him back on his feet. He didn't question this, no passer-byes noticed it, and he later forgot about it.

As he forgot about the tiny bit of Support that visited often, the Support began to fade, until it was no longer there. The Support was transferred to a crumbling man with no more than a cauldron, ink and parchment, and the Dark Mark burning on his left arm. She stayed with him and comforted him for eleven long years. Until September first, nineteen-ninety-one, she was no longer perching on his fireplace, watching him wake up from the recurring nightmares. That very morning, a girl named Hermione Granger was sorted into Gryffindor, and a very confused faculty received explanation from Headmaster Albus Dumbledore.

That night, Professor Severus Snape, Head of Slytherin House, wrote his last poem.

__

I thought you were dead,

But it was all in my head,

Because nothing could kill your spirit.

And now you're back to taunt me,

Haunt me,

Drive me mad with restriction.

Why couldn't you leave this poor beast to die?

Why couldn't my dreams simply tell me a lie?

But my soul craves you more with every last taste

And my addiction will, in the end, kill me.

A/N: One down, two to go.

I really enjoyed writing this chapter. I wanted to create more of a background for Remus and Hermione. Little anecdotes that wouldn't exactly fill the plot. But here, I got a chance to place those things in. I want to point out (if you hadn't noticed already) that each flashback was related to something I had mentioned before it. That's how I want Lupin's mind to work. Like the movie Brigadoon, he'll be having a conversation, someone will mention the most innocent word, and he'll be back to Hogwarts with Hermione… Also, how Hermione described herself: I pulled that from Always, directed by Steven Spielberg, and starring Richard Dreyfuss and Holly Hunt.

Thank you to: **Agurl, Under the moon's Influence, Nataly Ravenlock, animegirl-mika, Moony's Nymph, AJ, Katarina*Elise, tickle the dragon, dragonqueen*aratthond, Iggie, tigerlily, CAITLIN MALFOY, Katie Weasley, VenusDeMilo, angered.fairy.the.CoRrUpTeD, and Mayleesa.** Your reviews meant a lot to me!

Oh, and if you printed this out, please go back and review it… *cough cough*


	13. People Talking Without Speaking

Disclaimer: I'm tired. I'm hungry. I'm listening to "Come What May". I have toenails that I need to cut. Don't even _think_ about suing me.

The song after that is "Come What May" sung by Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman in Moulin Rouge.

A/N: _Dream talking is in Italics_.

Time Is a Pretzel

Epilogue Two:

Light of the Dark Black Night

"Blackbird singing 

In the dead of night.

Take these sunken eyes

And learn to see.

All your life,

You were only waiting 

For this moment to be free. -"

Blackbird

Innocence. The word rang against the filthy stone walls like a child's deflated ball and fell to the floor in a heap of thickness. Azkaban knew no innocence. There was no innocence here in this darkness.

The only thing Sirius Black was innocent of was the crime he had been condemned for.

__

'So this is what little Peter was planning for me,' he thought to himself with a sneer. _'No wonder he became a rat. He ratted us all out.'_

But that wasn't entirely true. Yes, he may have brought about Harry's orphaning, but he hadn't killed Hermione. 

He didn't know who to blame for Hermione's death. That was the source of most sleepless nights. From sunset to sunrise for the past eight months, he had tossed and turned with the entire scene replaying through his head. Each time it was different. Sirius would go to Hermione to find the unmasked Death Eater culprit standing by her and casting the Cruciatus Curse; the Aging Curse barely missed Hermione and either hit himself or Remus; more often now Peter would be standing over them, mocking them that he knew the cure but wouldn't tell them. Sirius _hated_ dreams. They were always lies from your subconscious.

Well… there was that one…

But he wouldn't think about that now. _'I have to keep my mind neutral. If I think about that dream, the Dementors will suck it out of me.'_

So instead of thinking about the dream, he transformed into a dog and curled into a thin blanket of fur. He was starting to wear the floor smooth here – it was the furthest away he could get from those creatures outside his cell and perhaps the warmest spot, for it was towards the center of the giant prison. Sirius preferred to think of it as Chateau D'if, for he didn't want to think he'd actually been committed in Azkaban. And he didn't want to think he was in denial, but what else is "rephrasing in the mind to make it more comfortable"?

Too bad Sirius didn't want to dream – because tonight, he was going to dream whether he liked it or not.

~

Sirius was standing on a balcony, dressed in a satin Victorian suit.

Hermione came in the other door, dressed in a white silk dress. Her feet were bare with red painted toenails. Her hair was up in a giant mass of curls, and her eye shadow was a vivid red. Her ears were pierced with ruby studs just as red as the eye shadow. She mouthed one word. _"Sing."_

Suddenly, his baritone voice broke out with a slow, smooth tune:

__

"Never knew I could feel like this - Like I've never seen the sky before."

Hermione crossed the room and took both of his hands in her own pale ones.

__

"Want to vanish inside your kiss. Everyday I love you more and more."

She did kiss him, and it most certainly wasn't the quick peck on the lips she and Remus had shared at breakfasts. This kiss was one of the ones she had given Sirius when James scored the winning goal at the Quidditch Cup. It was deep and probing, and Sirius felt like he most certainly could vanish inside it. He was giving his soul through his lips, and she gave hers right back.

He came up for air and found he hadn't finished singing.

__

" Listen to my heart, Can you hear it sing? Telling me to give you everything. Seasons may change, Winter to Spring, but I love you until the end of time."

She turned around, but still grasped his hand as if she intended never to let go. She leaned against his chest and rested her head on his shoulder. Sirius had never felt so comfortable and was almost afraid of letting go. 

__

"Come what may! Come what may! I will love you until my dying day!" they both sang together, their voices creating a beautiful harmony and a disturbing wholeness. 

Hermione seemed to have the next lyrics in mind. Her leaned so her eyes looked as far up as they could to meet his and her lips ran diagonal to his chin. 

__

"Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place! Suddenly it moves with such a perfect grace."

He knew where she was going with this, and seemed oddly enough to know exactly what she was going to say, because he joined in.

__

"Suddenly my life doesn't seem such a waste with only those around me.

"And there's no mountain too high! No river too wide! Sing out this song, and I'll be there by your side! Storm clouds may gather, and stars may collide," he sang the next line on his own, then she echoed him, and they finally sang together, _"But I love you (echo) until the end of time."_

She faced away from him again and began to sing to the sky, but Sirius couldn't tear his gaze away from her beautiful lips. His voice never clearly reached the birds above. 

__

"Come what may! Come what may! I will love you until my dying day!"

It didn't occur to him throughout the entire dream that he loved her **beyond **her dying day.

__

"Come what may! Come what may! I will love you until my dying day!"

Her eyes fell from the cloudless blue, and she began to sing quietly to the ground below. _"Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place…"_

He untwined his fingers from one of her hands and cupped her chin. Their eyes met, and the fire in hers rekindled. 

__

"Come what may! Come what may! I will love you until my dying day!"

She stepped away from him, and a longing ache within his chest filled the empty space inside. She was mouthing more words…

__

"Sing away. All you need is love. And He's at Hogwarts."

The words seem to make sense, but how he did not know. He repeated it over to himself. _"He's at Hogwarts. He's at Hogwarts."_

He would wake up saying those words. As the afternoon would wear on in screams, he would receive an issue of _The Daily Prophet_ from Cornelius Fudge, claiming that he missed doing the crossword.

Fate had decided to return Sirius Black to the chessboard of history.

A/N: Whoa!

Sorry it's so short. I'd had so many people nagging me about another fanfic, I just had to go ahead and get this over with.

I've pulled Hermione's last words from movies, and they follow as such:

"Sing Away" - actually "Swing Away" in M. Night Shymalan's Signs.

"All You Need Is Love" - the title from perhaps the second most famous Beatles song _ever_ recorded. "Yesterday" comes first, and I have used that already.

"He's at Hogwarts" - Must I really credit J.K. Rowling? I mean, come on…

But don't forget to tell me what you think, blah blah blah, and the rest of that crap. Thank you, and don't flame me for having Hermione kiss Sirius! I'm just not in the mood right now. And it's not as if I'll deliberately go back and totally redo the story because you don't like it. So put a sock in it, and just tell me about the stuff for which I care.


	14. I Can Never Win

Disclaimer: As the great Charisma constantly says: "Blurb."

Again, I don't own the Beatles.

The poetry is my own original work (slightly edited).

A/N: This is my very last chapter. After this, it's all over. I will go back over stuff, edit here and there, tweak, but the essence will stay the same. I have a few random points that I need to throw out because they're not important to the plot. If you have any opinions, please let me know. Be sure to include your overall attitude of this story with this chapter's review! Criticism is now more important than ever.

The summer I describe resembles where I live, but I figured it would be that hot under a fur coat.

Time Is a Pretzel

Epilogue Three:

Each and Every Day

"How could she say to me

'Love will find a way'?

Gather 'round all you clowns,

Let me hear you say,

'Hey, you've got to hide your love away.'" -

"You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" by the Beatles

__

Mr. Remus J. Lupin:

As of the past several years, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry has been lacking of a permanent Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts. It has come to our attention that you are unemployed, and the faculty believes you have the skills required to fulfill the needs of learning students. 

The faculty remembered that you suffer from Lycanthropy, and we believe this will not present a great problem. Due to recent developments with the Wolfsbane Potion, a werewolf may remain conscious of his actions during the transformed state. At every full moon, we expect you to drink the potion created for you by Prof. Severus Snape.

Another recent event has created hesitation in your employment here. The escape of Sirius Black is a concern to the safety of all persons, but especially that of Harry Potter. The Ministry has appointed Dementors to guard the grounds. We must also receive a wizard's oath of loyalty to Hogwarts from yourself before you begin your teachings. We apologize for the lack of immediate trust, but previous circumstances have raised our precautionary actions when employing a new member to the staff. 

Professor Dumbledore wishes me to inform you on a more personal matter. Thirteen years ago, the Ministry of Magic discovered the past of one Ms. Hermione Granger. Ms. Granger seems to have journeyed from the present time into 1976, when you attended Hogwarts with her. The staff agreed that no member would tell Ms. Granger of her fate, as it is sure to upset her. Please do not let personal emotions interfere with her education.

We request your reply by immediate owl, and if it is an acceptance, arrive at Hogwarts by September first with all of your teaching supplies.

Professor Minerva McGonagall,

Head of Transfiguration Department,

Deputy Head-Mistress

~

Remus arrived at Platform 9 3/4 an hour before the other students, determined not to accidentally bump into Hermione and lose his self-control. The Hogwarts Express had not arrived yet. Remus sighed, turned his trunk sideways, and sat down on top of it. Several bars of chocolate weighed in his pockets. Remus had spent the last of his pocket money on these thick, large hunks of candy bars. He had a feeling he would need them.

Fifteen minutes later, the large red train pulled up, steam billowing up from the smokestacks. Remus quickly boarded and settled into the Marauders' old compartment. He quickly fell asleep. He was still tired from his transformation last week.

He woke suddenly but did not start. The rhythm of the moving train had stopped, and the lights were off. The people in his compartment were moving around and making more noise than could possibly be safe under the circumstances. "Quiet," he croaked. His voice was hoarse from lack of use. He called a ball of flame to his hand, and saw the people. 

There was James. _'No_,' he reminded himself firmly. _'He's Harry.'_ Two children with red hair and freckles, a pudgy boy who reminded him sadly of Peter, and… There was no mistaking that bushy hair. The person he feared seeing was staring at him, a little girl of thirteen, with complete trust in her eyes. His stomach twisted into a knot.

"Stay where you are." He stood up, slightly shaken at seeing the face that had haunted his dreams for so long. He went to the door, eager to breathe air not tainted with her tempting scent…

__

'Great.' A Dementor opened the door. "None of us is hiding Sirius Black under our cloaks. Go." It wasn't moving, and the creature took in another rattling breath. "_Expecto Patronum_," he whispered. He didn't choose his strongest memory (Christmas Day alone with Hermione), for his giant wolf would never fit inside the train. He chose something weaker and settled on Halloween night in his sixth year. 

A tiny wolf head flew out of his wand and began to growl. It must have been a Dementor from the battles he had fought, for it hissed and glided into the woods. Several others followed. 

Remus conjured several lanterns to see by, and he looked down at Harry. He was slumped on the floor, and Hermione and Ron were kneeling at his side. His heart wrenched. _'How long ago was it that she was the one on the ground while Sirius and I were beside her?'_

The rest of them were busy piecing together what had happened when Remus took the largest bar of chocolate from his pocket. It broke with a particularly satisfying crack. He handed it out with the advice to eat it, and said, "I need to speak to the driver, excuse me."

Once away from _her_, he leaned against the corridor and tried to regain control of his pounding heart. _'She's dead, Moony. The Hermione you knew (and loved_ added a nasty little voice_) is dead, and this one is no substitute. Control yourself.'_

He sighed and continued down the corridor towards the engine. He was pleased to see lights on in every compartment.

"What happened?"

The engineer looked pale. "I-I-I couldn't fight them… They were coming for me."

Remus took another bar of chocolate. He broke it into two pieces. "Here," he sighed as he handed the engineer his share, "eat it." Remus stuffed his in his mouth and returned to the students he had left alone. _'I might as well face my fears. Lord knows Harry has had to face everyone else's.'_

He smiled when he saw no one had eaten his or her candy. "I haven't poisoned that chocolate, you know."

They all took a wary bite, and then warmth slowly spread across their faces.

He sat and watched the rain slither down the windows in thick, unsteady streams. He didn't feel like talking, so he didn't unless a question pointed directly at him. He was too busy thinking of a Hermione three years older to talk.

~

It was summer, at least. His thick, long black hair was sticking to his thin, sweaty frame like a French bikini to a swimsuit model. His mouth was open, tongue lolling out to the side. The shade outside Hagrid's hut was hardly any protection from the sheer humidity. 

His ears perked up, and his panting stilled. Students, but they were nowhere in sight. This meant an Invisibility Cloak. It had to be Harry. Surely enough, a ripple of light outside Hagrid's door revealed three students. Harry and the red headed boy were one of them. Anger possessed his mind, and he was too busy to recognize the other student as the one Crookshanks had described as its owner.

The three children admitted themselves inside. Hagrid was sobbing, and they were trying to comfort him. A girl offered to make tea, then screamed, and a crash of china made his ears ring. "Scabbers!" a boy shouted. An instinctive bark of laughter burst from Sirius's throat in mockery. 

He dared to send a message to his old classmate. _'Hello, Wormtail. Miss me?'_

An animal, a rat to be specific, began screeching inside the hut, and that boy was shouting "It's okay, Scabbers! No cats! There's nothing here to hurt you!"

'_The hell there isn't_,' he thought to himself.

He heard more people approaching. Dumbledore brought a smile to his muzzle, and then followed Crouch, and an older Macnair than the one he had known during his days at Hogwarts. He froze in horror when he saw the axe swinging from his former classmate's belt, his right hand caressing it slowly. He began to back up, and he stepped on something that hissed at him. He raised his back paw alarmingly and looked underneath his chest at the cat that had been trying to help him these past few months. _'Sorry.'_

While his enormous yellow eyes narrowed, it backed out from underneath him. Sirius gestured with a paw at the redheaded boy clutching his pocket and leaving the hut. The cat hissed and arched its back. _'Go and get Wormtail out where I can see him. I don't want to hurt the boy.' _

~

"Er- Mr. Black- Sirius?"

Her voice called his name softly, and it finally struck him who she was. Sirius couldn't help but stare at her while so many memories of longing for her touch hit him unlike any Dementor's cold breath ever had.

"If you don't mind me asking, how – how did you get out of Azkaban, if you didn't use Dark Magic?" No wonder he hadn't recognized her earlier; she hadn't been so quiet when he had known her.

"Thank you!" Peter gasped. "Exactly! Precisely what I-" Lupin glared at him. Instantly, Sirius had the greatest sympathy for his old friend with the realization that Lupin had had to resist her for at least a year. 

~

"And that's it?" Harry whispered. His fingers spread wide on the cleaned tabletop and the banner in the corner hung with its original vibrancy. Ron's arms folded across his chest and his eyes stared at the wall as if there was something immensely fascinating about these particular stones. Remus had been blushing throughout the story. Sirius had told a fair part of it, but on the more intimate parts, Remus explained and occasionally added details. Sirius smiled to himself; he hadn't seen Remus blush this furiously since their days at Hogwarts.

Remus replied, "That's it." Sirius cleared his throat. "Well, it's a censored version, at any rate."

Ron no longer stared at the wall but at his Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor. "Professor Lupin!"

"What? We were two horny teenagers in love!"

Harry snorted. "Horny" was not a word meant to be used by elderly professors with graying hair and a large amount of influence on two seventeen year old boys.

"Of course," Sirius added bitterly, "we don't know what happened when she was alone with Snape." Ron twitched, and Sirius grinned. "I feel the same way."

"Sirius?" asked Harry with a note of hesitance.

"Yes, Harry?"

"That night you guys went to Hermione's flat, and she found out about my mum being pregnant, and then you kissed her, what you were you thinking about?"

__

'Crap.' "Well… Harry… I…" He looked around the room searching for something to help him. 

Remus shrugged and his eyes said, 'Don't look at me, stupid. You're the one who had the idea of telling them.' 

"I'll tell you when you're older." Harry merely glared in response.

"Ron? Are you okay with all of this?" asked Remus in concern.

He unfolded his arms and leaned forward, eyes narrowed. "Why didn't you tell us all this when we met her?"

Remus massaged his temples. "What would've happened if we had? Think about it, Ron. You would've treated Hermione as if she wasn't really your age, and Hermione herself was never fond of 'destiny' and things like that. She wouldn't have believed us if we told her. It was bad enough to pretend we hadn't known her previously. Imagine the pain for us to know that she knew and have her ignore us just the same." 

Ron nodded. "I understand."

"Hey you two. Can you leave us alone for a minute?" Sirius mumbled. Harry nodded and pulled Ron out the door with him.

The door clicked shut, and Sirius walked over to the bookcase by the wall. He pulled out a chair and mumbled to Remus as he felt on top of the cabinet, "I'm glad they didn't look up here." Remus arched an eyebrow.

Sirius pulled another book and blew on the cover. Clouds of dust billowed up from the leather binding, and Remus coughed. "Come on! It took the house-elves three days to make this place clean!"

He stepped down off the chair and opened to the first page.

Remus craned his neck to see and groaned when he saw the handwriting. "Severus would kill you if he knew you had that."

"Well, he doesn't, and he shouldn't, so he won't."

"That makes _so_ much sense," Remus said.

__

"Death.

It pollutes the air.

The stench of it chokes our faith.

The sight of it blinds our hope.

Shadow.

It darkens our soul.

Our minds are beaten worse than our bodies.

"Mind over matter" is no longer valid.

Fate.

This is our destiny.

We are to lose all of our possessions to your ridicule.

"Why should we care about you?"

A/N: THANK YOU ALL FOR REVIEWING! LOOK AT ME! I'M CRYING BECAUSE I'M SO HAPPY! :') ANYWAY, I OWE MY DEVOTION TO THIS FIC TO ALL OF YOU, AND… OH, F***! I LOVE YOU GUYS!


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